The Batman is the latest major Hollywood movie to delay its release due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Matt Reeves‘ film was originally shooting in the UK but forced to shut down production due to COVID-19, and despite not being scheduled until 2021, Warner Bros. has delayed the movie from next June to October 1, 2021.
It’s unclear when the studio hopes to resume production, but this delay is clear that it isn’t likely to be soon, and they don’t want filming and post-production rushed when they do get back to work. Aiming to hit a certain release date with less time to prepare than before doesn’t make sense for such a huge movie, so the delay is probably a welcome one for those working on the film.
Warner Bros. have also shuffled some of their other upcoming films. The Flash, which has gone through many incarnations at this point, has actually been pushed up from August 2022 to June 2, 2022, while Shazam 2 was originally set for April 1, 2022 has now been delayed until November 4, 2022.
Other studios have also delayed films, some that weren’t actually due until next year. Baz Luhrmann‘s Elvis Presley biopic with Tom Hanks and Austin Butler has gotten a small delay, moving from October 1, 2021 to November 5, 2021, while King Richard, which revolves around the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams and stars Will Smith, has been moved from a November 2020 release to November 19, 2021.
On top of that, the Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints Of Newark, which was due for release this September, has been pushed back to March 12, 2021.
It’s clear that COVID-19 is going to cause ripple effects throughout Hollywood for the next few years. The 2020 films getting pushed into 2021 are going to impact the original 2021 films, which will be moved and impact the 2022 films, and so on.
And no one knows how long this pandemic will continue to effect the public’s ability to go out and socialise, so it’s very possible that these delayed films could face even more delays down the line. We’ll wait and see what happens with the few 2020 films still sticking to their release dates, like Christopher Nolan‘s Tenet and Disney’s only-slightly-delayed Mulan.
#Peace.Love.TheBatman
