Deadpool 3 and Venom 3 Hanging in the Balance After SAG-AFTRA Strike – The Hollywood Reporter

The rescue mission to save the 2024 Hollywood calendar — and the summer lineup in particular — has officially begun now that the actors’ strike has been resolved.

The high drama unfolded on Wednesday when the studios informed SAG-AFTRA that it had until 5pm PT to decide whether or not to accept its final offer. Otherwise, the studios said there was little hope of salvaging a new TV season or 2024 summer release calendar. “It’s a disaster for the schedule if we don’t get a deal done,” an insider on the studio side explained minutes before news broke that SAG had already voted to accept the offer. .

Earlier in the day, Disney Chairman Bob Iger also sounded a cautionary cry when he said there wasn’t much time left to salvage his studio’s summer slate.

Dozens of titles have already changed their release dates due to the actors’ strike — and the previous writers’ strike, which ended in late September — and more are sure to follow. Within hours of announcing the deal, for example, Sony delayed its release Poison 3 From July 12, 2024 to November 8, 2024 in order to provide further protection.

In recent weeks, Disney has postponed 2024 spring tentpoles snow white And Elio For a year or more, while Paramount postponed the release of the next part Mission: Impossible Installments from summer 2024 to 2025 And A Quiet Place: Day One For several months from spring to June 2024. Likewise, Sony has made a large number of changes to its release lineup. Then there are countless small and medium-sized films from major studios, small companies and independent outfits that have to find their way.

“Clearly the strikes threw the film release calendar into chaos and disarray almost immediately,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior box office analyst at comScore. “They have caused a level of uncertainty and panic that rivals even the COVID-19 pandemic, another industry-changing event.”

For weeks, studio distribution executives and movie theater owners have warned that Hollywood’s labor woes could create chaos at the box office just as moviegoing begins to rebound after the pandemic. This warning became a reality during the weekend of November 3-5, as box office receipts fell to abyss. In recent years, the first weekend in November has become a favorite starting point for Hollywood films wanting to participate in the year-end holiday parade, including 2017 films. Motorcycle rental Or 2018 bohemian rhapsody.

This year, the marquee was noticeably devoid of high-profile productions after Legendary and Warner Bros. Sand Dunes: Part Two Flee on the weekend of November 3-5 for March 2024 Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which prevented actors like Timothée Chalamet or Zendaya from doing any promotion.

without Sand dunes or any other big new release in Hollywood, the domestic box office took about $65 million over the weekend, one of the lowest of the year. More box office disruptions are expected to follow in the first quarter of 2024 due to a content slowdown, but now that the actors’ strike is over, studios will be racing to wrap up their tentpoles next summer, as well as event pictures scheduled for the back half. 2024 or later in 2025.

This will be an arduous effort for all involved as there will be a backlog of projects competing for limited resources, including sound stages and crews. Likewise, the role of visual effects will be extended, and there will be a race to complete the effects for any tentpole aiming for summer.

Below are the main headlines hanging in the balance.

Release date: May 3, 2024

Star/producer Ryan Reynolds, director Shawn Levy, and co-star Hugh Jackman were eager to get back to work on their Marvel Studios film, the studio’s most important project outside of anything else. Avengers In the title. There is widespread speculation that the trilogy film – which was about halfway through when the SAG strike began – will swap release dates with fellow Marvel pic Captain America: Brave New World, which is largely completed and scheduled to hit theaters on July 26. In this way, Deadpool 3 It could still be released in the summer, which is a lucrative pass for superhero fare. (Another sign that the film will not open on May 3 is director John Krasinski’s film if, Starring Reynolds, it is now out on May 17. This film is also produced by Paramount.)

Deadpool 3 He could be back filming in London within a few weeks, although no official plan has been revealed. Hollywood studios paid to maintain settings for some films that were shut down mid-broadcast; That picture is among them.

Furiosa (Warner Bros.)

Release date: May 24, 2024

George Miller wrapped the principal photography on his screen Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel last year, so it looks like it will be ready to go. Moreover, Warners are said to be keen on it And send it to the Cannes Film Festival. Expectations are high, as well Road of anger It became an instant classic and is considered the greatest action film of the century. Anya Taylor-Joy, who replaced Charlize Theron as the younger Furiosa, wrote on Instagram in October 2022, “It’s been an honor and a privilege to create with all of you… Thank you for making me tougher than I ever thought I could. Be. Fire And blood and gasoline.”

Tornadoes (worldwide)

Release date: July 19, 2024

Universal is anchoring its live-action summer lineup with Tornadoes, a sequel to the 1996 film that starred Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt. According to sources, there should be enough time to wrap up filming and complete the post-production work, which will include a lot of VFX. TornadoesThe cast is led by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos.

Poison 3 (Sony)

Release date: November 8, 2024 (previous date was July 12, 2024)

Although Sony released a large number of films due to the strike, it did not hold actual screenings Poison 3 Release date is July 12, 2024 amid business issues. This suggests the studio wants the film, which shot unknown material in Spain earlier this year, to be ready for 2024. But with the strike over, Sony has pushed the date back three months, away from the summer. Tom Hardy once again stars as the Marvel hero, with long-time collaborator Kelly Marcel directing.

Gladiator 2 (Basic)

Release date: November 24, 2024

Ridley Scott shot about half of the sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning film, which was shot in Morocco and Malta. The cast includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington. Scott has promotional duties for his Apple feature Napoleonwhich will be released in theaters on November 22 via Sony, but he plans to return to work Gladiator 2 With the beginning of the new year. Scott actually edited about 90 minutes of footage that he had already shot.

evil 1 And evil 2 (Global)

Release dates: November 27, 2024 and November 26, 2025

Director Jon M. Chu open On July 19, the films were just a few days from wrapping principal photography. He wrote on In the meantime I’m excited to dig into what we’ve been shooting over the past year here in Oz (the release date shouldn’t be affected).”

Mission Impossible 8 (Basic)

Release date: May 23, 2025 (1-year delay)

Paramount announced on October 23 that it would postpone the release of the sequel Mission: Impossible Film from June 28, 2024 to May 23, 2025. So far, this is the biggest film to abandon the 2024 summer pass.

The feature first halted production to allow star Tom Cruise and the cast to promote Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, which hit theaters last July. The hiatus continued when the SAG-AFTRA strike began.

Director Christopher McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton spent the downtime during the strike editing what they had so far for the next film. It’s not clear how much was filmed (one source believes around 40-50 percent, but Macquarie stated that a lot was done, saying Collider In July: “We shot all but one of our international locations. We shot our big events except for the biggest set piece, which is the center piece of the movie, which is huge and unlike anything we’ve done.

Either way, the extra year will give the film some breathing room, and perhaps allow the team to adjust its plans after the disappointing performance at the domestic box office. Reckoning of the Dead, Part One. The original plan was for it to be the title of the next installment Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part TwoBut it seems that is no longer the case.

Overall, studio distribution insiders say the reason behind delaying the film by a full year, versus finding another date in 2024, is to avoid a repeat of the COVID-19 pandemic when some tentpoles were pushed multiple times — including Reckoning of the Dead, Part One Or a James Bond installment No time to die In a never-ending domino game.