Disney has some of the biggest film franchises under their belt right now and it looks like they're about to secure the bag for the next decade. Avengers: Endgame just dropped to critical and commercial acclaim with other Marvel films set to arrive in the future. Now, they've announced a new trilogy for Star Wars as well as some unfortunate news for fans who've been anticipating the Avatar sequel.
Per Variety, Cameron's sequel to 2009's Avatar has been pushed back by a year. Avatar 2 will arrive on Dec. 17, 2021, as opposed to its initial Dec. 18, 2020 release date. Avatar 3 will arrive in Dec. 19, 2025 instead of Dec. 20, 2024, Avatar 4 is set to arrive on Dec. 19, 2025 instead of Dec. 20, 2024, and “Avatar 5” will drop on Dec. 17, 2027.
The shift in release dates comes after acquiring a large bulk of 21st Century's film and television assets in a $71.3 billion mega-merger.
While there's been a shift in the Avatar films release dates, Disney has also announced a brand new Star Wars trilogy which will arrive after The Rise Of Skywalker. The three films are currently unnamed but the release dates for them are set. The first installment of the new trilogy will be released on Dec. 16, 2022. The other two films will arrive during the holiday season on Dec. 20, 2024 and Dec. 18, 2026.
“We’re excited to put in place a robust and diverse slate that lays the foundation of our long-term strategy, bringing together a breadth of films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Fox, Fox Searchlight, and Blue Sky Studios to create an extraordinary collection of cinematic experiences for audiences around the world,” said Cathleen Taff, the studio’s president of theatrical distribution. “With a strong summer already in place, we are eager to carry that momentum forward over the coming years thanks to a creative wellspring of bold and imaginative stories coming from our world-class studios — including several new chapters of two revered franchises, ‘Avatar’ and ‘Star Wars.'”