Disney has announced a slew of release date debuts and shifts, along with a title for the Muppets sequel.  Briefly:

  • Two new untitled Marvel films have been set for release on May 6, 2016 and May 5, 2017.
  • Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner has been set for release on October 10, 2014.
  • The star-studded musical Into the Woods, directed by Rob Marshall and starring Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep, will open on December 25, 2014.
  • The Muppets sequel has been titled Muppets Most Wanted.
  • The bestseller adaptation The Hundred-Foot Journey, produced by Oprah Winfrey, opens on August 8, 2014.
  • A presumed animated sequel Planes: Fire & Rescue will hit theaters on July 18, 2014 in 3D.
  • Saving Mr. Banks, starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, now opens in limited release on December 13th before expanding wide on December 20th.
  • Director Brad Bird’s mysterious new film Tomorrowland, starring George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, has been moved up to December 12, 2014 from its previously announced December 19th date.

Hit the jump for more on Marvel’s newly announced projects.

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Most notable of these release date announcements is the "untitled" Marvel films.  Currently The Avengers 2 is slated for release on May 1, 2015, followed by the first Phase Three film Ant-Man, which opens on November 6, 2015.  Now we have confirmed Phase Three Marvel films set for May 6, 2016 and May 5, 2017.  I’d be surprised if we only got one Marvel film each for 2016 and 2017, but Marvel president Kevin Feige recently teased a number of future Marvel properties that are poised to be adapted for the big screen.

The firmest of which seems to be Doctor Strange, which one images could fill the 2016 slot as Feige suggested it would be a Phase Three release.  There’s also a standalone Hulk movie to consider, a possible Iron Man 4, and then likely sequels for Captain America, Thor, and Guardians of the Galaxy, though the latter probably isn’t due for a follow-up until 2018 at the earliest given that it doesn’t hit theaters until 2014.  Whatever the case, Marvel will continue its run of superhero films for some time to come, but the studio will likely now be facing some stiff competition in the coming years from Warner Bros. and DC now that Superman is finally taking off with Man of Steel.  Let the superhero movie battles begin!

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