Disney's 'Mulan' Postponed Indefinitely; 'Avatar' and 'Star Wars' Films Pushed Back a Year

A studio spokesperson confirmed the calendar change on Thursday, as the future of the film industry remains uncertain amid the global health crisis.

'Mulan'
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Image via Getty/Rich Fury

'Mulan'

Disney's release calendar has undergone some major changes, as the global pandemic becomes increasingly severe.

On Thursday, the studio announced it had canceled the Aug. 21 release for Mulan, which was originally set to hit theaters back in March. Deadline reports the delay is indefinite, as Disney is trying to avoid constant rescheduling due to the ever-changing coronavirus restrictions.

"Over the last few months, it’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis," a Disney spokesperson told the outlet, "and today that means pausing our release plans for Mulan as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world."

Thursday's announcement marked the fourth time the live-action film has been delayed.

In addition to the Mulan pull, the studio has postponed all of its scheduled Avatar and Star Wars films by a year. The first Avatar sequel has been moved from December 2021 to 2022; Avatar3, 4, and 5 are expected to arrive in 2024, 2026, and 2028, respectively.

The forthcoming Star Wars trilogy films are now slated to hit the big screen in December 2023, 2025, and 2027.

News of the calendar shake-up came just hours after AMC Theatres announced it was postponing its U.S. reopenings due to coronavirus concerns. The movie theater chain was expected to reopen on July 30, but recently decided to resume operations in mid- to late August.

"This new timing reflects currently expected release dates for much anticipated blockbusters like Warner Bros.' Tenet and Disney's Mulan, as well as release dates for several other new movies coming to AMC's big screens," an AMC representative said in a press release. "Looking abroad, approximately one-third of all AMC cinemas in Europe and the Middle East are already open and are operating normally."

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