Disney Removes Upcoming Live-Action Movie From Schedule

Walt Disney Pictures has removed a live-action movie from its film schedule. The untitled film had been set for release on March 12th, 2021. The animated film Raya and the Last Dragon will take the live-action feature's place on Disney's schedule. This comes at the same time that Disney is delaying Pixar's next animated film, Soul, from June 19th until November 20th, five days ahead of Raya and the Last Dragon's original release date. Disney offered no official indication of what live-action film this date was meant for, but some fans have noted that the studio's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid was forced to delay production in March.

It could also be Peter Pan, which is expected to open in 2021. There are a number of other live-action Disney remakes without dates in pre-production, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinnochio, and a sequel to The Jungle Book. The date isn't necessarily reserved for a Disney Animation remake as Disney has other live-action projects in the works as well.

This is the latest film schedule reshuffling from the House of Mouse in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Early in the crisis, Disney decided to delay the releases of Mulan and The New Mutants and to release Pixar's Onward on Disney+ early. Later, the studio decided to delay the release of Black Widow from its April 3rd date until November 6th, the date The Eternals was supposed to open on. This led to a domino effect of rescheduling for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Eternals moved to February 12, 2021, pushing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings back until May 7, 2021, which moved Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness back to November 5, 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder back to February 18th, 2022.

Disney isn't the only studio being forced to rewrite its future plans due to COVID-19. Paramount Picture delayed the releases of Top Gun: Maverick and A Quiet Place Part II. The next James Bond movie, No Time to Die, was delayed. Warner Bros. pushed back the release of its next superhero tentpole, Wonder Woman 1984, from June until August. Fast & Furious 9 was moved from early April until late May. More films were forced to halt production, including Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman, The Matrix 4, as well as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3.