Marvel Studios Officially Announces Phase 4 Plans Following Long-Sought Box Office Victory

​Well, if any of you didn’t know already by all the online chatter, San Diego Comic-Con is going on this week, and because I live in KY, I’m unable to cover it except as a distant observer. For those of you unaware of what Comic-Con is (all six of you), the San Diego version is a week-long summer celebration where all nerd things (and maybe a few other slightly less nerdy things) is brought together under the San Diego sun so that comics enthusiasts and other varieties of hyper-fandom can celebrate and enjoy what makes them happy. Movie studios have oft seized this opportunity as well to announce, discuss, and show footage from their upcoming projects, and none has been so prolific since their inception as Marvel Studios, the power behind the ongoing Avengers-driven Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney’s biggest cash-earner to date (yes, even bigger than Star Wars). 

​This year in particular is a very special year for the folks behind the juggernaut franchise, as producer and universe-overseer Kevin Feige confirmed during the Hall H panel that their own Avengers: Endgame, the culmination and (un)official end of their decade (plus one year)-long Infinity Saga, has just surpassed James Cameron’s box office behemoth Avatar to become the #1 highest grossing film of all time worldwide (or will by the end of this weekend). It’s certainly been a hard-fought battle for Marvel Studios, with a record-obliterating $350 million opening weekend signaling a quick overtaking, but return viewings yielding less and less, only for the studio to then add extra bonus content at the end of the film and once again expand its theatrical market as a last Hail Mary attempt at the box office crown, barely managing a slim-margined win (as opposed to the total obliteration that was initially expected as a result of that opening weekend) before the film moves to digital home release on July 30th, with 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD releases to follow on August 13th.
 
Since the initial release of Avengers: Endgame, fans have been speculating on what Marvel Studios plans to do next, with the recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox providing hope for many that they would finally see the X-Men and Fantastic Four brought over to the MCU in some fashion. Feige has since announced that Marvel Studios has no plans to introduce the X-Men within the next five years, but that they are in the early stages of development; the same has been noted of the Fantastic Four, as well as sequels to Black Panther and Captain Marvel (two of the studios’ highest-grossing solo entries), and James Gunn’s long-gestating Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, which has been put on hold until Gunn finishes work on his upcoming Suicide Squad reboot for rival studio DC. As of now, there has been no official word on whether or not any team-up movies will be forthcoming, nor whether any of those team-up films will used the “Avengers” title in their official marketing.

What Marvel Studios does have plans for, however, are no less than five upcoming movies and five tv shows for its Phase 4 lineup (most of which were previously announced), to be released over the next two years, the latter category airing on Disney’s upcoming exclusive streaming service, Disney+. Feige has officially announced some titles, plot points, character introductions, and castings for Marvel’s upcoming slate, including the surprise reveal of a sixth film: Blade, starring two-time Academy Award-Winner Mahershala Ali as the title character. This Blade reboot is not due to be released within the next two years, but with this announcement is surely well into early production by now. With all that out of the way, let’s get into Marvel’s plans for its next ten projects.

Black Widow (May 1, 2020)
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Marvel’s Black Widow movie has been in development for quite some time, with principal photography having been moved to London and beginning June of this year. Australian director Cate Shortland will direct a cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle, and Academy Award-Winner Rachel Weisz in a story set before the original Avengers movie that will dive into Natasha Romanoff’s past, with Budapest serving as a significant setting. Pugh herself is confirmed to be playing Yelena Belova, a character who takes over the Black Widow mantle for Natasha in the comics. There are no other forthcoming details at this time.

​The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+, Fall 2020)
 
Although unofficially announced beforehand, this series following the adventures of crime-fighting duo Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes post-Endgame was also officially announced as the first of the new streaming series to premiere on Disney+ in the fall of next year. Fans will remember Steve Rogers handing over his signature shield to Sam at the end of Endgame, thus bequeathing him the mantle of the new Captain America. There are no official plot or setting details at this time, but Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo character (the villain from Captain America: Civil War) will be making a return appearance for the series, donning his iconic purple mask from the comics. Although unconfirmed by Marvel at the Hall H panel, reports from a variety of largely credible sources indicate that Malcolm Spellman (Empire) and Derek Kolstad (John Wick) will be writing the series, with Handmaid’s Tale’s Kari Skoglan directing all six episodes.

Eternals (November 6, 2020)
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One of Marvel’s largest and riskiest undertakings since the original Guardians of the Galaxy, the Eternals movie centers on a group of beings who use their advanced skill to protect humans in the future. The film will be directed by Chloé Zhao (The Rider) from a script by Matthew K. and Ryan Firpo, and boasts an all-star cast including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, Dong-seok Ma, and Brian Tyree Henry.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (February 12, 2021)
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Marvel announced plans for its first Asian-led superhero a little while ago, which would center around the universe’s master of Kung-Fu, Shang-Chi. While no plot details have been revealed at this point, the film will be helmed by Short Term 12 and Glass Castle director Destin Daniel Cretton, and star Simu Liu as the titular character, with Awkwafina co-starring, and Tony Chiu-Wai Leung (in a surprise announcement) playing The Mandarin (the real one this time). What that means in terms of the twist from Iron Man 3 and Aldrich Killian’s “I am the Mandarin” line counting or not anymore, I’m not sure, but Marvel has hinted at the real Mandarin existing in this universe before in a short called “All Hail the King,” which starred Ben Kingsley as his actor character Trevor Slattery.

​WandaVision (Disney+, Spring 2021)
 
Perhaps the most mystery-shrouded among the new streaming show announcements, this series will star Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany as the titular characters, as well as Teyonah Parris. There are no plot details at this time, and aside from the presence of Marvel Studios, no official creative heads have been announced as in charge of the project.

​Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 7, 2021)
 
Teased as the MCU’s first true horror film (R.I.P. New Mutants), this sequel will see Benedict Cumberbatch return as Doctor Stephen Strange, and will also star Elizabeth Olsen as her Scarlet Witch character. No plot details are known at this time, but it will be once again be directed by returning Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson.

​Loki (Disney+, Spring 2021)
 
No official plot details have been revealed at this time, but the Loki series Marvel is developing for Disney+ will feature the same Loki that MCU fans will remember having disappeared using the tesseract during the second act of Avengers: Endgame, once again to be played by Tom Hiddleston. There have also been no creative directors or writers officially announced for the show’s production.

​What If…? (Disney+, Summer 2021)
 
The only animated project on the official roster for Phase 4, Marvel’s “What If…?” series aims to ask the question “what if this thing did or did not happen?,” and then answer that question with a story that stems from the answer, citing major events or the erasure therein as the catalyst for its episodes. Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) will star as The Watcher, a “non-Earthly being who observes all things,” with many former MCU cast members returning to voice their characters, including Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, Haley Atwell as Peggy Carter, and Josh Brolin as Thanos. There are no other details at this time.

Hawkeye (Disney+, Fall 2021)
 
One of the earliest unofficially announced streaming series, Hawkeye will star Jeremy Renner and introduce the comics-favorite character Kate Bishop, a role which has not yet been cast. There are no other production or plot details at this time.

Thor: Love and Thunder (November 5, 2021)

Announced as “Thor 4” just before San Diego Comic-Con, Taika Waititi will return to direct the newly-titled (as of the Hall H panel) Thor: Love and Thunder, which will star Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, returning as their respective Thor and Valkyrie characters. Perhaps the most surprising news coming out of this announcement, though, is the return of a former franchise cast member: Natalie Portman will be reprising her role as Jane Foster in order to take on the mantle of Thor, becoming the first woman to play the Thor role in the official MCU continuity, fittingly following in her comics counter-part’s footsteps. No other details have been revealed at this time, and no script has yet been set.

​And that is your Phase 4 lineup!

So, to recap:
 
Black Widow (May 1, 2020)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+, Fall 2020)

Eternals (November 6, 2020)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (February 12, 2021)

WandaVision (Disney+, Spring 2021)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 7, 2021)

Loki (Disney+, Spring 2021)

What If…? (Disney+, Summer 2021)

Hawkeye (Disney+, Fall 2021)
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Thor: Love and Thunder (November 5, 2021)

Personally, I’m glad to see Marvel taking it slow again on the movie side of things before building to any upcoming team-up projects they might have, but I’m more intrigued to see how the new Disney+ shows will effect the ongoing continuity of the MCU, if at all. In previous years, Marvel Studios has all but exclusively disconnected its television material from their cinematic universe, essentially ignoring their Netflix originals like Daredevil and Jessica Jones and outright refusing to acknowledge any connection to other network material like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or the critically-panned Inhumans. According to Marvel, these new streaming series will be far more closely integrated with their cinematic entries, so it might be time to consider picking up a Disney+ subscription in order to keep up with all of it.

So, what do you think of Marvel’s Phase 4 lineup? Which entry are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments section below! Thanks for reading, and keep it here at The Friendly Film Fan for more movie news, reviews, and rankings.
 
- The Friendly Film Fan