Disney Has Officially Delayed The Avatar Sequels And Mulan (Again)

Neytiri in Avatar

The past few months have seen the entertainment industry come to a screeching halt. As global health concerns continue to affect daily life, countless movies have been delayed due to closed theaters and set shut downs. The state of the film world is constantly changing, as studios attempt to reschedule new releases based on the information possible. And now Disney has made some more tough decisions, with the Avatar sequels and Mulan all being further delayed.

This isn't the first time that Mulan and the Avatar sequels have been delayed, but the news is sure to be disappointing for moviegoers regardless. Avatar 2's production came a decade after the original, while Mulan was previously delayed a few months from its original July date to August. But now there's been even more set backs, as Mulan has been pulled from theaters indefinitely while Avatar 2 be pushed back a calendar year.

This news comes to us from THR, and is sure to be disappointing for cinephiles eager to get back to theaters and see these highly anticipated Disney blockbusters. But the news is true: Avatar 2 has been moved back a year from December 2021 to 2022. As for Niki Caro's live-action Mulan, there's no indication as to when it will finally arrive in theaters.

This is just the latest set up to hit the film industry, as it still hasn't been deemed safe to open theaters and film sets. While some projects across the pond are getting back to work, countless projects have been delayed. Disney was clearly banking on the summer blockbuster Mulan arriving on time. And while Avatar recently began filming again, the delay will now cost moviegoers another year of waiting.

James Cameron recently arrived back on the Avatar set in New Zealand, and was self-quarantining for weeks before starting production back up. This is definitely a hopeful message for the fans who have already been waiting a decade to jump back into Pandora with the four upcoming Avatar sequels. But they'll have to wait another year before that happens.

While the wait for Mulan hasn't been nearly as long, anticipation for Disney's latest live-action adaptation was steadily building since the project was first announced. The marketing campaign was in full title before the film's COVID-related delay, showing off the upcoming movie's visuals. In fact, Mulan was originally supposed to hit theaters back in 2018, so it's getting a treatment similar to that of the long gestating The New Mutants.

These two blockbusters' delay in release comes on the heels of Christopher Nolan's Tenet also being delayed indefinitely. The highly anticipated Nolan flick was expected to help open theaters back up, with Mulan on its tail and helping to bring life back to the industry. Unfortunately, there's no indication as to when either movie will arrive in theaters now.

Avatar 2 is set to arrive in theaters December of 2022, and CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things Mulan. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.