DARK PHOENIX Moves To Summer 2019, GAMBIT To 2020; Fox Dates UNTITLED DEADPOOL MOVIE For December
As we head into the weekend, 20th Century Fox has shifted a number of their biggest upcoming releases, including Dark Phoenix, Gambit, & Alita: Battle Angel. Plus, they've dated an Untitled Deadpool Movie?
Hot on the heels of that fiery trailer debut, 20th Century Fox has decided to move Dark Phoenix, the latest chapter in their blockbuster X-Men saga, from February to June 7, 2019.
While the timing of the move may seem puzzling, Deadline reports that the decision was strategic in nature as it will allow Dark Phoenix to obtain a much larger opening in China, a highly lucrative market where the teaser trailer racked up over 44 million views within the first 24 hours of release. Additionally, the studio will still be able to utilize premium screens from all across the globe for the film's release since they had previously reserved the prime summer date for the perpetually delayed Gambit.
Speaking of Gambit, the Channing Tatum-led spinoff has been pushed back yet again, this time moving to March 13, 2020. Considering the Disney/Fox merger will be complete before the end of next summer, this may actually be one of the first casualties of the deal if it doesn't manage to go into production before the end of the current calendar year.
The studio has also moved Alita: Battle Angel from this winter's jam-packed December 21st date to February 14, 2019, which is probably an extremely wise move considering its nearly $200 million budget. According to reports, the VFX-heavy film is finished, so the delay has nothing to do with any post-production issues. They merely wanted to get away from the December date that already has Warner Bros.' Aquaman, Paramount's Bumblebee, Universal's Welcome to Marwen, Sony's Holmes and Watson, and Shah Rukh Khan's Zero slated to release.
In lieu of Alita, Fox will now be releasing an Untitled Deadpool Movie on December 21st. It's unclear what exactly this movie is, but rumor has it that it will actually be a PG-13 re-release of Deadpool 2 with some additional content featuring Fred Savage reprising his role from The Princess Bride. However, instead of Peter Falk, it'll be Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who sits down to tell him a deeply disturbing bedtime story.