Guys, why just not deliver all these release dates at once? 20th Century Fox has been a leaky faucet this weekend with its announcements. The first drip came Saturday morning, revealing the released dates for four “Avatar” films going through 2020-2025 (ha, like we’ll be alive by then). In the afternoon, Fox then unveiled details on three more “X-Men” films all arriving in 2018. Now, several additional films have been dated or shifted around.
First up is Shane Black’s “Predator” reboot/sequel. Once scheduled for the “Deadpool”-ish date of February 9, 2018, the action blockbuster has now been pushed over six months to August 3, 2018. More time to complete the film, which is currently shooting now, we suppose.
Arriving at a super-fast clip as usual is Steven Spielberg. The director, who turned around “Munich” in about seven months in 2005 from stem to stern, will be doing the same this year. His latest film, a Pentagon Papers drama tentatively titled “The Post,” stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, and hasn’t even started shooting yet. But now it will debut in select theaters this Dec. 22 before going wide on Jan. 12, 2018. Spielberg was all set to shoot another film this year, but the Trump administration’s follies and the essential work done by the Washington Post and the New York Times with Russiagate and the election inspired the filmmaker to make a sharp turn in another direction. Obviously, the picture is dropping right into the heart of the late-game Oscar season.
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New release dates also include Bryan Singer’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” starring Rami Malek (“Mr. Robot”) as the iconic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. Fox is feeling confident about that one and will be releasing it on Christmas day in 2018. And “12 Years A Slave” filmmaker Steve McQueen’s next movie, “Widows,” arrives in November of 2018. One thing’s for sure: with all these additional movies plus “Aquaman,” the animated “Spider-Man” movie and an an untitled Warner Bros. event film on the way, December 2018 is going to be a little bit nuts.
In date adjustments, Fox’s “Red Sparrow,” directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Jennifer Lawrence, has moved from Nov. 10 of this year to March 2, 2018. Lastly, the third “Maze Runner” movie ‘The Death Cure’ now opens at the beginning of 2018.
Here’s the new date recap:
Untitled Steven Spielberg — December 22, 2017
Maze Runner: The Death Cure — January 12, 2018
Red Sparrow — March 2, 2018
Widows — November 16, 2018
Bohemian Rhapsody — December 25, 2018
The Kid Who Would Be King (a relatively unknown project) — September 28, 2018