Few (if any) movies currently in production have been sheltered from the effects of COVID-19, and the upcoming superhero film The Batman, as well as the Sopranos prequel, are no different.
Variety is reporting that the Robert Pattinson-starring superhero reboot has had its release date pushed back several months as a result of the pandemic. The day it was supposed to hit theaters was June 25, 2021. That has now been bumped to Oct. 1, 2021.
As for The Sopranos prequel, which is going by The Many Saints of Newark, Warner Bros. has announced that the release for that movie has been pushed from Sept. 25, 2020 to March 12, 2021.
These are just a few of several movies that have had their release dates altered due to the virus' impact on all things entertainment. Not only have films currently in production had their schedules messed with as a result, but movies that were set to hit theaters over the past few months, in addition to those coming out in the immediate future, have let to a reshuffle for movies that were supposed to come out in the summer and fall of 2020.
Other Warner Bros. superhero movies that have had to adjust release dates includes The Flash. That film was actually moved forward a month, from July 1, 2022 to June 2, 2022. Also switched was Shazam 2, which went from an April 1, 2022 release date to Nov. 4, 2022.
As for non-superhero movies, the Elvis biopic that made headlines after Tom Hanks caught the virus during pre-production has been moved back from Oct. 1, 2021 to Nov. 5, 2021.
King Richard, which is a sports drama that will see Will Smith playing the father of Venus and Serena Williams, has been pushed back almost an entire year, from a Nov. 25, 2020 date to Nov. 19, 2021.
Two big Warner Bros. movies that have actually not seen a change, at least for the time being, include Christopher Nolan's Tenet, and Wonder Woman 1984. Those are still looking at July 17 and Aug. 14 release dates, respectively. You can decide for yourself whether that's realistic or not.
As a silver lining, having a firm release date is better than being delayed with no date established (as is the case with several other domestic studio films). Examples of those films include The New Mutants (Disney/20th Century), Antebellum (Lionsgate), and Scoob! (Warner Bros). among others.
