The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man 3 movie release date is delayed four months to November 2021 by Sony Pictures. Marvel Studios first announced the original upcoming MCU release slate at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 last summer, but there have been quite a few additions and changes since then. Not only did Marvel change its entire MCU Phase 4 release slate to account for delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but new movies were added, including the Spider-Man: Far From Home followup.
Last summer, Marvel Studios’ parent company Disney and Sony hit a snag when negotiating an extension of the Spider-Man deal that allows the webslinger to appear in the MCU and it seemed like Tom Holland would continue playing the character in an offshoot franchise. However, the companies were able to come together and reach a new agreement, keeping Spider-Man in the MCU for at least a little while longer, and announced the summer release date for a third solo movie. The Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel’s release date didn’t change at the same time as the rest of the MCU schedule because Sony hadn’t delayed it. Now, however, Spider-Man 3 has been pushed back.
Sony Pictures announced more changes to their upcoming release slate today, after pushing back both Morbius and Venom 2 among other films, including their Spider-Man 3 movie. The Marvel Sony untitled Spider-Man Far From Home sequel release date is now set for November 5, 2021, moving back four months from its previous date of July 16, 2021.
To go along with the Spider-Man movie’s release date change, Marvel Studios has again made some alterations to their MCU Phase 4 slate, delaying Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to 2022 to avoid overlap with Sony’s movie. Marvel also moved up Thor: Love and Thunder to earlier in 2022, changing the order of upcoming MCU films. It’s unclear what, if any, impact these changes will have on the story of the MCU in Phase 4, but it’s likely Marvel Studios wouldn’t have made these moves if they didn’t benefit the franchise. Since the MCU only just wrapped up the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, the various stories of the MCU may diverge before coming back together in a future team-up film.
As for Spider-Man, Holland’s webslinger only has two more confirmed MCU movies as part of the deal Sony and Disney struck last summer: Spider-Man 3 and an upcoming team-up movie. It’s unclear what that team-up movie will be, whether it’s an Avengers installment or another kind of event film. But since everything in the MCU – and all of Hollywood – has been delayed, it’s likely that will arrive later as well. While all these delays mean fans will have to wait longer before catching up with their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, it’s for the best as Hollywood deals with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. At the very least, fans have a date when they can expect to catch Spider-Man 3 in theaters in 2021.
Source: Screenrant, by MOLLY FREEMAN