Marvel forced to shut down production on major MCU movie

Not many films have been affected by the Writers Guild of America strike, but Marvel has now had to suspend production on yet another major MCU movie.

From the moment the Writers Guild of America strike began on May 2, all eyes have been on how the strike would affect television shows, and understandably so. However, the repercussions of the WGA strike are now beginning to be felt by major movie studios as well including Marvel Studios.

Marvel Studios was among the first to be affected by the WGA Strike with the brand having to delay production on its upcoming Blade film. Filming on the film starring Mahershala Ali was originally slated to begin in June. Instead, Marvel was forced to shut down production making it the first MCU project to be directly delayed by the strike.

Now, it seems that the studio is having to shut down production on yet another film as a result of the strike with Deadline reporting that production on Thunderbolts has officially been delayed.

Thunderbolts release date updates

Originally, Marvel was scheduled to begin production on Thunderbolts in mid-June with filming slated to kick off in Atlanta. When reports surfaced that production on Blade had been shut down, it was reported no other MCU film was impacted at the time but that has now changed.

Instead of beginning filming in Atlanta in June, Thunderbolts production has been delayed with the plan being to not begin filming until after the WGA strike ends. As such, there is no updated date for when the film will begin filming meaning an extended delay could be ahead for the film’s schedule.

If filming on Thunderbolts is pushed back by an extended time, there is a chance Disney will have to shift the film’s release date which is currently set for July 26, 2024. Just how far back the movie might have to be shifted remains to be seen and will determine heavily on how long the WGA Strike lasts.

The last major WGA strike took place in 2007 and lasted 100 days. If the current strike lasts as long or longer than the 2007 strike, there is a potential that filming on Thunderbolts won’t begin until the fall which most certainly would likely lead to the film’s release date being shifted.