This is turning out to be a big day for Disney, albeit not in the way they hoped. Today, the Mouse House has made some important decisions about some of their most anticipated movies, and that includes more than what’s going on over at Marvel Studios. There’s also Indiana Jones 5 to consider, but not just that, Jungle Cruise and Mulan have found new homes.
So Indiana Jones 5, which has experienced a treasure chest full of delays and rewrites, was to begin production this summer. Well, scratch that. Harrison Ford won’t be cracking the whip again until July 29th 2022, a full year after its original release date. Ford will be 80-years-old by the time that comes around so…well, let’s just wish him continued good health. There’s a lot that Disney needs to do before shooting can begin, anyway, what with Steven Spielberg leaving as director. While James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari) is in talks to replace him, that has yet to be confirmed.
If it weren’t for the COVID-19 outbreak we’d have already seen Disney’s live-action Mulan remake. Instead, it will move to July 24th where it becomes one of the few blockbusters to risk a summer premiere. Disney is taking a chance here that things will be back to normal, and must feel that Mulan will be okay if it is forced to find another date.
On the other hand, they must not feel quite as strongly about Jungle Cruise. The Dwayne Johnson/Emily Blunt action-adventure was to open on that July 24th date, but will stay in dock until July 30th 2021! That puts it in the middle of what promises to be a very crowded summer season as studios look to make up for what isn’t opening this year.
Finally, the Ryan Reynolds video game comedy Free Guy, which was to open on July 3rd, instead moves to the holidays. It’ll open on December 11th 2020, when we’ll get to see Reynolds as an NPC (non-player character) who comes to realize he’s inside of a video game.
