Walt Disney Studios is making updates to its upcoming movie schedule with a few big changes to films like “Indiana Jones” (pushed back a year) and “Mary Poppins Returns” (moved up a week). Hollywood studios are known for making changes of release dates and titles to take advantage of marketing trends and open slots in the calendar, so this isn’t that unusual. But one has to wonder how far back the next Indiana Jones film can be pushed and have Indiana Jones still portrayed by Harrison Ford. At this rate he’s be 76 to 77 years old during filming of the next movie. Maybe they could call it ‘the Adventures of Grandpa Jones.’
Here are the schedule changes:
- Ralph Breaks the Internet is new title for the previous: Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-it Ralph 2 scheduled for 11/21/2018
- Mary Poppins Returns moves up a week from Christmas to 12/19/2018. Probably a good move to build audiences a bit earlier.
- Jungle Cruise will move up its release one week to 10/4/2019.
- Untitled Disney Live Action previously dated 11/8/19 removed from schedule
- Maleficent 2 is the name of previously untitled Disney live action film scheduled for 5/29/2020
- untitled Indiana Jones movie moves from 7/10/20 to 7/9/21
- Untitled Disney Live Action previously dated 7/9/21 moved to 7/30/21
- Untitled Marvel previously dated on 7/30/21 moves up to 2/12/21
- Untitled Disney Live Action previously dated 2/12/21 removed from schedule
A lot of this is Disney just playing games with other studios, but having a couple movies removed from the schedule is interesting. I wonder if that’s making way for what Disney sees as an expanded production capability after acquiring Fox Studios.