As the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes continue for four months and two and a half months, respectively – and counting – Disney fans are starting to see the results on the screen in the form of delays (and even cancellations) of planned movies and television shows, most recently four releases from Marvel.
When the actors joined the writers on the picket lines in July, we speculated whether (and how) the strikes would impact Disney fans (you can read that article here). As we reported at the time, striking actors can’t do any work on movies and TV shows, which caused all productions to grind to a screeching halt – and now, we’re seeing the results.
Hollywood trade publication Variety reported “the timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed again,” referring to delayed debuts of Season 2 of “What If…?,” “Echo,” X-Men ’97,” and the “WandaVision” Agatha spin-off.
Delayed Marvel Shows:
- “What If…?” – Season 2 of the MCU’s first animated series, originally set to debut in early 2023, will now premiere in December.
- “Echo” – The “Hawkeye” spin-off starring Alaqua Cox as Marvel’s first Native American and first deaf superhero has been delayed from Nov. 29, 2023, to January 2024 (all episodes will still be released at once on Disney+)
- “X-Men ‘97” – The update to the 90s animated “X-Men” series has been delayed from Fall 2023 to early 2024
- “Agatha” – The highly-anticipated spin-off of “WandaVision” starring Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness, which completed filming before the SAG-AFTRA strike, will now debut in fall 2024 (possibly at Halloween)
Season 2 of “Loki” is set to debut Oct. 5, 2023, at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET; however, the strikes will likely delay release dates for several Marvel shows that haven’t completed production, including “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Wonder Man,” neither of which have scheduled premieres.
“Ironheart,” a “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”/Riri Williams spin-off, which had wrapped principal photography but was not completed pre-strikes, has dropped off the Disney+ schedule altogether (at least for now).
Unlucky Lucasfilm
With production on hold due to the strikes, Lucasfilm has delayed “Rogue Squadron” from Dec. 19, 2025, to May 22, 2026. At this point, the Disney-owned studio is planning to release a second Star Wars film on Dec. 18, 2026 (which means two debuts in 2026), with a third movie set for Dec. 17, 2027.
And while the Disney+ original series “Star Wars: Ahsoka” did debut as scheduled on Aug. 28, 2023, we don’t know if “Skeleton Crew” starring Jude Law (scheduled to premiere in 2023) and “The Acolyte” (planned for 2024) will be delayed. Season 2 of “Andor” and Season 4 of “The Mandalorian” (both still with TBD release dates) may also be impacted.
What About The Simpsons?
Season 35 of television’s longest-running series will debut on Oct. 1, 2023; however, since the show’s actors record episodes a year in advance – and only a handful of episodes had been recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike began – “The Simpsons” Season 36 could potentially be delayed. D’oh!
Get your premiere outfits ready, #TheSimpsons returns in ONE MONTH!
Season 35 begins October 1 on @FOXTV, next day on @hulu. pic.twitter.com/Dwukbhl6y0
— The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) September 1, 2023
So Long, Spiderwick Chronicles
Disney+ also canceled the already-complete eight-episode “Spiderwick Chronicles” series (based on the book series of the same name), which was announced in November 2021, a decision that has been questioned because, with production halted due to the ongoing strikes, streaming services will likely run out of new content, and this new series was already complete before the strikes began.
This particular decision by Disney has also been criticized for prioritizing earnings over the opportunity to demonstrate to striking Spiderwick writers and actors that their work was valued.
What’s Next?
It may seem that mega Hollywood stars “don’t need the money” (and maybe some of them don’t), but what many movie and television fans don’t realize is that the majority of writers and actors do not make millions, so they’re simply asking to be paid fairly for their work (just like the Mandalorian would expect).
For the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes to end (and production to resume), the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will need to agree to the unions’ demands, including regulations for the use of AI technology and more equitable distribution of payments for streaming shows. Until then, we can expect more projects to be delayed and canceled.
At this point, the two sides are finally talking, so let’s keep our collective fingers crossed that they’ll be able to reach an agreement and get TV and film production back on track as soon as possible.
Let’s Hear From You!
What if…actors and writers continue to hold out for fair compensation from streaming services (including Disney+)? What if…even more Disney movies and television shows are delayed? And what if…future Disney projects are canceled altogether? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.