Disney postpones ‘Black Widow’ film release date

Marvel’s “Black Widow” is the latest Disney film to have its release date postponed due to the coronavirus forcing most cinemas to close down.

Most movie theater chains have no given a specific timeline on reopening, and that could change depending upon the recommendations of the CDC on when large gathering places should reopen.

As of now, the CDC recommends that a group of people should not exceed 10 or more people. Most states have also put in local bans and called for the shutdown of theaters, other entertainment venues and bars.

In addition to “Black Widow,” Disney announced “The Persona History of David Copperfield” and “The Woman in the Widow,” which were also to be released in May have been placed on hold.

Those three movies join “Mulan,” “The New Mutants,” and “Antlers” which Disney announced it was holding earlier.

Delaying “Black Widow” will most likely have an impact on all future release dates of Marvel films, since films are usually released in a specific order. The next Marvel film that was on the schedule for release was “The Eternals” in November.

The remainder of the schedule of releases by Disney, Pixar, Marvel, 20th Century and Fox Searchlight are all in question as we get through this COVID-19 pandemic.

Here was the original schedule:

• March 27, 2020 – (NOW DELAYED) Mulan – The live-action adaptation of Disney’s Mulan, the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan. This stars Liu Yifei as Mulan.
• April 3,2020 – (NOW DELAYED) The New Mutants – Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.  It is being touted as a horror film in the superhero genre. This will be the 13th and final installment in the X-Men film series from 20th Century Fox.
• April 17, 2020 – (NOW DELAYED) Antlers – This supernatural horror film from Fox Searchlight stars  Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, and Amy Madigan. Based on the short story “The Quiet Boy,” the movie is about a small-town Oregon teacher, Julia Meadows (Russell) and her sheriff brother Paul (Plemons), who become entwined with a young student in her school who is harboring a dangerous secret with frightening consequences.
• May 1, 2020 –(NOW DELAYED) Black Widow – The film stars Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle, and Rachel Weisz. This Marvel film follows the events of Captain Ameria: Civil War (2016). Here Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) finds herself forced to confront her past.
• May 8, 2020 – (NOW DELYAED) The Personal History of David Copperfield – The life of David Copperfield is chronicled from his youth into adulthood in this Fox Searchlight release. The British-American comedy-drama is written and directed by Armando Iannucci.
• May 15, 2020 – (NOW DELAYED) The Woman in the Window – This mystery, based on the novel by the same name, is about an agoraphobic child psychologist who witnesses a crime while spying on her neighbors, leaving her to determine whether or not to alert the police. The 20th Century Fox film stars Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Wyatt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, Fred Hechinger, and Anthony Mackie.
• May 29, 2020 – Artemis Fowl – This Walt Disney movie, directed by Kenneth Branagh is a fantasy adventure based on the novel of the same name by Eoin Colfer. Twelve-year-old Irish criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II, alongside his trusted bodyguard Domovoi Butler, capture Captain Holly Short, a high-ranking LEP-RECON officer of a secret underground world filled with an assortment of magical creatures, to keep as hostage in exchange for gold to restore the Fowl family fortune. 
• June 19, 2020 – Pixar’s Soul – The film takes you on a journey from the streets of New York City to the cosmic realms to discover the answers to life’s most important questions. Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful gig at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and he is transported to the You Seminar, a centre in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, including 22 (Tina Fey), a soul who has spent aeons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to New York. 
• July 3, 2020 – Free Guy – This 20th Century Fox film is a science-fiction, action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a bank teller who discovers he is a background character in an open world video game called Free City that will soon go offline.
• July 17, 2020 – Bob’s Burgers – This  20th Century Fox Animation film is based on the animated series.
• July 24, 2020 – Jungle Cruise – Based on the popular theme park ride, the film stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. A riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles, but with a supernatural element.
• August 7, 2020 – Empty Man – This 20th Century Fox release is based on Boom! Studios graphic novel. On the trail of a missing girl, an ex-cop comes across a secretive group attempting to summon a terrifying supernatural entity.
• August 14, 2020 – The One and Only Ivan is a Walt Disney Studios production based on a children’s novel. A gorilla named Ivan tries to piece together his past with the help of an elephant named Stella as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity.
• September 18, 2020 – The King’s Man – Ralph Fiennes stars in this prequel to the Kingsman film series, set in the early 1900s. As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man and his protégé must race against time to stop them.
• October 2, 2020 – Venom 2 – This Sony/Marvel Sequel- Tom Hardy returns at Eddie Brock/Venom in this sequel.
• October 9, 2020 –Death on the Nile – In this 20th Century Fox film, Hercule Poirot must investigate the murder of a young heiress while on vacation on the Nile, 
• October 23, 2020 – Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – This is a feature film adaptation by 20th Century Fox of the musical about a teenager from Sheffield, England who wants to be a drag queen.
• November 6, 2020 – The Eternals – This Marvel moviefocuses on The Eternals, who were created by Jack Kirby in the 1970s. They are a race of god-like beings locked in a conflict with the less evolved Deviants and their originators, the Celestials. Each of the immortals has various powers. The movie will star Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh and Don Lee. The movie is being directed by Chloé Zhao.
• November 13, 2020 – Deep Water – This 20th Century Fox film is a psychological thriller based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. A married couple who’ve fallen out of love with each other begin playing deadly mind games against one another that begins seeing those around them dying. It stars Ben Affleck.
• November 25, 2020 – Raya and the Last Dragon – This Walt Disney Animtion film is written by Adele Lim, who wrote the popular “Crazy Rich Asians.” The film follows Raya, a lone warrior from the fantasy kingdom of Kumandra who teams up with a crew of misfits in her quest to find the Last Dragon and bring light and unity back to their world. Awkwafina lends her voice to Sisu, the Last Dragon, who was left on Earth in case dark forces return to the world, and Cassie Steele voices the lead character, Raya.
• December 18, 2020 – West Side Story – Steven Spielberg directs a new adaptation of the Broadway musical.
• December 25, 2020 – (INDEFINITE HIATUS) The Last Duel – Ben Affleck and Matt Damon team up again to write the screenplay (the last time they wrote something together, “Good Will Hunting,” they won an Oscar for original screenplay. They also star in this 20th Century Fox film based off the non-fiction book “The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal and Trial by Combat in Medieval France” by Eric Jager. Set in 14th century, “The Last Duel” is about a woman who claims she’s been raped by her husband’s best friend. But when no one believes her accusation, her husband challenges his friend to a duel, the last legally sanctioned duel in the country’s history.