'Agatha' Is Retitled Again In Massive Marvel Studios Disney+ Series Release Shift
'Agatha' Is Retitled Again In Massive Marvel Studios Disney+ Series Release Shift
'Ironheart' and 'Daredevil: Born Again' no longer have release window projections
It’s September 1, and nothing has been seen from X-Men ‘97, the sequel to the ‘90s Fox Kids X-Men animated series and originally set for a fall 2023 release, since July 2022’s San Diego Comic-Con. In fact, it’s been confirmed Friday that a good handful of Marvel Studios Disney+ series that will not be sticking to their originally announced release windows.
To start, Loki isn’t going anywhere. It’s five weeks from its announced October 6 release date and in the midst of headlining a massive “As Featured In” McDonald’s campaign. There was no way it was moving. The season two trailer had the biggest digital debut of a trailer for any Disney+ series, and season one remains the most-watched Marvel series on the platform. Marvel wants to make each title an event for fans and audiences, deciding that spreading out its content is a more effective strategy.
Next up, there’s actually some good news: What If…? season two will be released around Christmastime, from an unannounced delay that catapulted it from early 2023. Jeffrey Wright returns as the voice of the anthology series’s narrator, The Watcher, telling tales of key moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going very differently. The series premiered in August 2021, and by the time Loki season 2 premieres, it will have been exactly 2 years since What If…?’s first season finished.
The Hawkeye spinoff Echo, starring Alaqua Cox, was originally set for a November 29 release, but that’s been moved to January 2024. In the series, Echo, who is deaf and of Native American descent, returns to her hometown in Oklahoma to face her past. It is described as having a “grittier and more grounded” tone and will feature returns by Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock aka Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin. Even with the move, the series’ release plan has been maintained, and all episodes will drop together.
X-Men ‘97 is now set for “early 2024”, but an early that seems situated after the release of Echo, which covers a lot less territory since it only has the one day, opening up more weeks to not directly overlap. It has been described by those who have seen it as “retro” and a love letter to the original. Season two is still safe and in production.
Agatha: Coven of Chaos is now known as Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. The WandaVision spinoff starring Kathryn Hahn was originally announced as Agatha: House of Harkness in November 2021, and given a winter 2023/early 2024 release window by its first rename at SDCC 2022. More than just falling completely on the 2024 side of the fence, evident by the manner by which it was discussed toward the end of filming after the Writers Guild of America strike but before SAG-AFTRA’s, the series has been pushed all the way back to early fall, to be a headliner for that year’s Hallowstream Halloween celebration, if it still has that branding.
Ironheart, starring Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne and first introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was also meant to have been released this fall but is now undated. It finished shooting but its completion is affected by the studios not listening to the actors and writers for a fair deal. Similarly, Daredevil: Born Again, the series that the reintroduction sprinkles of Cox’s Daredevil and D’Onofrio’s Kingpin across the MCU coming from their Netflix series were leading to, had paused as the strikes had begun, and has been dislodged from its spring 2024 window. Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II still hasn’t been officially announced yet, also experienced production pauses, so it’s very likely wherever was being eyed to place it is not where it’s being eyed now.
The movie side of phases 5 and 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had their delays, and those of other facets of Disney films, made in June, which was before SAG-AFTRA started striking but seemingly in anticipation of it happening. It brought Phase 6 all the way out to 2027. Many of the gaps presented in Hall H last July have still not been filled.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter