By Armando
Image: aiphotoimaging.com
On the same weekend that Avengers:Endgame established itself as the highest grossing worldwide release of all-time at the boxoffice, Marvel announces its Phase Four lineup, guaranteeing its stronghold at the boxoffice for many more years to come.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige made the announcement on Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con International, which also brought together a diverse group of movie stars to the stage.
The line-up of projects includes a few sequels and prequels, film based on familiar Avengers characters, and TV series aimed for the Disney’s Disney+ streaming service. Here is the list in chronology of release dates as well as those whose release dates are yet to be announced.
Black Widow: May 1st, 2020
Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, the Scarlett Johansson is the first film on Marvel’s slate, currently shooting in Europe, and with a stunning new trailer revealed Saturday. Scheduled for release May 1st, 2020, the film also stars David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O. T. Fagbenle and Rachel Weisz.
Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Fall 2020
Image: aiphotoimaging.com
This limited series, set to stream on Disney Plus, focuses on Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame, which saw Rogers passes his shield Wilson.
The Eternals: November 6th, 2020
With an all star cast that include Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Rdiloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, and Angelina Jolie, The Eternals is the third film from Marvel Cinematic Universe next year. Set to be directed by Chloé Zhao, who recently directed the stunning The Rider, the film is focuses on immortal alien race created by the Celestials, and are sent to Earth to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: February 12, 2021
Destin Daniel Cretton has recently been tapped by Disney to direct Shang-Chi, Marvel‘s first film with an Asian protagonist. Also on stage, the Hawaiian director announced that Canadian star Simu Liu is set to star in the film. Created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, “Shang-Chi” was first published by Marvel Comics in 1973 in Special Marvel Edition #15 and is often called the “Master of Kung Fu.”
WandaVision: Spring 2021
The original TV series for Disney+ is set to star Elizabeth Olsen reprising her Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) role, and reuniting her with Paul Bettany’s Vision and dig deeper into their relationship. Feige describes it as a “mega-event limited series,” and that “‘WandaVision’ will be unlike anything we’ve done before.”
Image: aiphotoimaging.com
Loki: Spring 2021
Loki is back! Tom Hiddleston is indeed set to reprise his role in the upcoming Marvel TV series. Based on one of the most popular comic book villains and MCU characters, the series is set to explore the events after Loki stole the tesseract in Endgame. “This series will tell you what happened to Loki right after” Feige said during Loki announcement portion, wherein fans were also reminded of that clip of time heist scene Endgame.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: May 7th, 2021
Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong are set to reprise their characters in what is described as having a “gothic, horror” tone as well as the “first scary MCU film.” Scott Derrickson is back to helm the film. Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch is also returning, which ties the film to the events of WandaVision, thereby creating a very interesting and intriguing link between a film and a tv series.
What If… : Summer 2021
This is Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first animated series, and will be released exclusively on Disney+. During the announcement, Feige mentioned that some actors’ voices from MCU will be in the series reprising their roles. The series is set to explore various stories and timelines.
Hawkeye: Fall 2021
Also scheduled on Disney+ is Hawkeye, featuring Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton, with Kate Bishop most likely taking on the mantle. At Hall H, Renner suddenly appeared from nowhere, surprised fans, and run towards the stage.
Thor: Love and Thunder: November 5th, 2021
It was announced this week that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi is set to helm a new installment of Thor. The director was on stage together with Thor himself Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who played Valkyrie in Ragnarok. The new installment will also see the return of the character Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman.
Other titles announced were:
Blade: TBD
Black Panther 2
Captain Marvel 2
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 – TBD
Fantastic Four and X-Men – TBD
