You might have missed it amid the Oscar hoopla, but Fox just announced that it had two new Marvel, well, X-Men movies on the way. And it also quietly removed one from the schedule in the process.
The movies weren’t identified, but they were announced as arriving on October 6, 2017 and January 12, 2018. Similarly, Gambit was cut loose from its 2016 release date, which isn’t a big surprise as the movie hasn’t even shot any footage yet, largely thanks to its turbulent behind-the-scenes issues. Unless it’s just Gambit hanging out and eating beignets, they’re going to need more time, and Gambit probably just got an extra year to get made.
As for the 2018 date, Fox may not be saying anything, but it’s pretty rare that a big-budget movie is deliberately targeted for January. January and February, until recently, were seen as dumping grounds, and it’s definitely a time when film attendance is low. Unless you happen to be Deadpool, in which case you’ve been cleaning house for three solid weekends after a record-breaking opening. We’re not saying definitively that Deadpool 2 is coming in 2018, we’re just saying you shouldn’t be surprised if it does.
None of this includes the movies that have already been announced, of course. Wolverine 3, for example, has March 3, 2017 already staked out. But it’s an interesting hint into Fox’s X-Men future, unless they plan to follow up a certain Razzie winner after all.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
