UPDATED to remove question regarding the mystery May date – apologies, bad information.
Kevin Feige rolled on stage at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre to regain the superhero film high ground today. The slate of films he rolled out to a rabid audience – both in the theatre and across Twitter (#MarvelEvent was flooding everyone’s feeds in some fashion) – says the studio isn’t resting on any laurels. Here’s the highlights:
CAPTAIN AMERICA 3 is officially titled CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (after Feige trolls the audience with a slide calling it SERPENT SOCIETY). The Russo brothers are back to direct, with a release date of May 16, 2016. Though the title makes it look like there’s a direct tie to the world-shaping series of Marvel comics, Feige says there’s a different tack the film will take, as the identities of most of the heroes are already known. “Events of the whole cinematic universe will make all governments in the world want regulation. Not so much about secret identity, but about who reports to who.”
DOCTOR STRANGE is slated for November 4, 2016. Despite what you may have heard in the last 24 hours, Benedict Cumberbatch is not currently confirmed for the lead role, and if they had him locked in the role, “we would have announced it today.”
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 will hit theaters on May 5, 2017, moving up from July 2. James Gunn is back to write and direct.
THOR: RAGNAROK – a “pivotal point in the fabric of the MCU” – is set for July 28, 2017.
The first MCU minority-led film will be BLACK PANTHER, slated on November 3, 2017. He’ll be played by Chadwick Boseman (42, GET ON UP), and audiences will get their first look at the character in CIVIL WAR.
Carol Danvers gets her big-screen treatment with CAPTAIN MARVEL on July 6, 2018. The script, according to Feige, has been in the works almost as long as DOCTOR STRANGE. The production isn’t staffed yet – a lead, director or writer have yet to be assigned.
INHUMANS opens “a whole new avenue in the MCU,” and hits screens on November 2, 2018. Easter Egg references to introduce the concepts and characters will start appearing in preceding MCU films.
Finally, see that big purple guy at the top of the screen? AVENGERS: INFINITY WARS is split into two films, with Part One on May 4, 2018 and Part Two in May 2019. Feige recently confirmed that the current Avengers line-up will change dramatically after the second film, with characters like Ant-Man and Doc Strange taking up the mantle.
Two things we didn’t hear at the event (besides the lack of a leading man for DOCTOR STRANGE):
- Will Joss Whedon return to direct the INFINITY WARS films? He was in attendance at the event, but didn’t hop on stage.
- Is there any credence to a looming deal Marvel would need to make with Sony Pictures to get a SPIDER-MAN appearance in the MCU?
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What do you mean by the May 18, 2018 slot? Avengers: Infinity War part 1 is on May 4th…
Currently, Marvel has a mystery project that they’ve got slated for May 18, 2018. I know it sounds counter-intuitive that they’d release two films in a month, but they still say they’re releasing something on that date.The information I had, from two of the folks in attendance, was incorrect. The article has been edited to reflect that. Dangit.