Marvel Studios Mystery 2022 Movie Date - What Could It Be?

Name: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Released: 2023-02-17T05:00:00+00:00
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton

Charlie Ridgely

04/17/2020 01:05 pm EDT

After all of the dust settled from Disney's flurry of film delays, Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a new path forward. 2021 will see just one movie film released, in the form of Black Widow. The Eternals joins Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2021, while Thor: Love and Thunder moves to 2022, where it will be released alongside the Black Panther and Captain Marvel sequels. The next two and a half years of the MCU are set, with the exception of one still unnamed title on October 7, 2022.

The October 2022 Marvel release is a complete mystery to fans. There are many projects in early stages of development that could occupy that slot. It could also be a solo spinoff for an already existing MCU character. There's really no way to tell what's on the way, especially considering that it will be the fourth Marvel Studios movie to arrive that year.

No one knows for sure what will end up on that release date, but that doesn't stop us from guessing. Looking at the projects that have been announced, and a few that we expect could be announced in the near future, we came up with seven different scenarios for what could happen in October 2022.

What film will occupy that mysterious date? Let's break it down.

Blade

Blade makes the most sense here for a number of reasons. Marvel Studios has never released a film in October before, usually waiting to take up a slot in early November. Blade will be the most horror-adjacent character when he appears in the MCU. Making Blade the first Halloween Marvel movie is absolutely perfect.

It's also worth noting that Blade is the non-sequel MCU film that is furthest along, at least that we know of. Black Widow and The Eternals have already been filmed. Shang-Chi is filming. Everything after that is a sequel. This movie in October 2022 will be Marvel's fourth of the year, following three massively anticipated films in Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther 2, and Captain Marvel 2. Wouldn't it be smart to nestle in a new character after releasing three guaranteed hits? Unlike other potential new character projects, Blade is the only one with a star already attached.

Ant-Man 3

Of any title that Marvel is confirmed to be working on, that doesn't already have a release date, Ant-Man 3 is probably the easiest to make from start to finish. The franchise already has two installments under its belt, with director Peyton Reed returning for the third. There's also a core cast in place with Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Pena, David Dastmalchian, T.I., Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, and Emma Fuhrmann all playing characters still alive and well within the MCU. One new casting or two and this crew would be ready to go.

The Ant-Man movies also seem to be a little bit smaller in scale than other MCU movies, pun-intended, making the production of Ant-Man 3 an easy add to the crowded slate heading into 2022.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

(Photo: Marvel Studios)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 probably would've arrived in 2021 had it not been for the firing of James Gunn. He had already completed the script for the trilogy-ender when he was ousted back in 2018. Marvel fans are beyond grateful Gunn was rehired, but he was picked up by Warner Bros. and DC to write and direct The Suicide Squad while he was away. That film is in post-production now, with a press tour still to come ahead of its release next summer, so Gunn will be tied up for a bit.

The Suicide Squad comes out in August of 2021, leaving more than enough time for Gunn to come in and shoot Guardians before October 2022. There will probably need to be a few tweaks to the script, thanks to the various changes in the MCU over the last few years, but nothing too big standing in the way of this production.

Fantastic Four

(Photo: Marvel)

It would be lofty to see a Fantastic Four movie get written, fully cast, and shot over the next two and a half years, but if anyone could pull it off, it's Kevin Feige. Marvel Studios runs like a well-oiled machine and it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility to see the Fantastic Four on-screen sometime soon.

The MCU has to be careful in how it introduces the X-Men, Disney's other major comic prize from its purchase of Fox, but the Fantastic Four are a much easier addition. If a creative team and cast are hired in the next few months, it wouldn't be difficult to see this production coming together for a Fall 2022 debut. The only problem here is that the Fantastic Four are massive characters, and it's hard to see Marvel launching their franchise outside of a prime spring or summer slot.

Deadpool 3

(Photo: Deadpool)

Whether or not Deadpool is eventually folded into the MCU remains to be seen. But the rights to the character are now part of Disney and may be the responsibility of the folks at Marvel Studios. Even if the character doesn't become part of the connect Avengers franchise, there's absolutely no way that Ryan Reynolds doesn't return to star in more Deadpool movies. He's too good at his job, the fans have too much love for him in the role, and the Deadpool franchise just makes too much damn money.

Deadpool 3 is more of a "when" than an "if", and 2022 seems like a reasonable release date. So much just depends on what Marvel wants to do with the character and whether or not the film will still be listed on the calendar as a Marvel Studios or 20th Century project. Regardless, there is more Deadpool on the way at some point in the future.

Ghost Rider

Why not? Seriously, why not?

Okay, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to fast-track a Ghost Rider movie when Blade is already waiting in the wings, but the character is just too hot to leave dormant for too long. There was supposed to be a solo Ghost Rider series on Hulu with Gabriel Luna this year, but that project was canned when Marvel Television came crashing down. Perhaps that could have been a result of Marvel Studios wanting to save the character for the big screen. Like Blade, Ghost Rider would make for a great Halloween release, and fans would certainly rejoice to see any version of the Spirit of Vengeance riding again.

The New Mutants Sequel

(Photo: 20th Century)

This is the most absurd possibility on this entire list, and there are probably 37 other projects that would seem more likely. There's a 99.99999% chance that this idea is just completely silly and would never happen. But what if it did?

Disney sees something in The New Mutants, which is why it hasn't been dumped for some kind of digital release already. It's an incredibly affordable project with talented young leads and the potential for more story. With unique characters like Magik that haven't been featured in previous X-Men films, The New Mutants could be the best path towards introducing mutants into the MCU. If that's the case, a sequel in 2022 would be more than doable, and would totally fit in with the Halloween theme.

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