Marvel Studios‘ upcoming slate of Disney+ original series is going through some significant shifts at the moment.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Hawkeye spin-off series Echo has been delayed from November 29, 2023 to sometime in January 2024. Meanwhile, the WandaVision spin-off Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (formerly titled Agatha: Coven of Chaos) has been delayed from winter 2023 to early fall 2024. Finally, the animated series X-Men ’97 has moved from fall 2023 to early 2024, with Season 2 still in the works. These delays are reportedly a result of both the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, as well as a “general pullback” at Disney+.
With that in mind, the second season of Loki — which is still due to premiere on October 6 — will now be Marvel Studios’ only fall 2023 release on Disney+. The second season of Marvel‘s animated series What If…? is now dated for winter 2023, and will reportedly arrive “around Christmas Day.” Additionally, Ironheart has been removed from Marvel Studios’ Disney+ slate entirely for the time being. The live-action series is finished shooting, though post-production on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever spin-off has been affected by the strikes.
Prior to this, production on both Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man has already long been halted due to the strikes. At this time, it’s unclear when exactly Ironheart, Born Again, and Wonder Man will hit Disney+. (Ironheart was originally slated for fall 2023, while Born Again was slated for spring 2024.)
Which other Marvel Studios projects have been affected by the strikes?
Of course, Marvel Studios’ Disney+ shows aren’t the studio’s only projects to be affected by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. A number of Marvel Cinematic Universe feature films have also had to either pause or delay production. These include Blade, Thunderbolts, and Deadpool 3. That said, much like how Loki Season 2 is still on track to hit Disney+ this October, the Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels is still due to hit the big screen in November.
“We recognize how much you’ve all done on your specific projects and it’s disappointing when carefully laid plans have to shift, but constant change is the nature of the production business, and our teams are no stranger to unexpected challenges and rising to meet them,” Marvel Studios execs Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito previously wrote in an internal email addressing the production delays. “We deeply appreciate all your efforts to make the best of the situation, and we can all hope that a new agreement will be finalized soon so we can resume the great work we have in process.”
