Newsletters
Entertainment
Kirsten Acuna, Caralynn Matassa, and Ayomikun Adekaiyero
Updated
- Walt Disney Studios is constantly updating its film schedule.
- In addition to "Star Wars" movies and Marvel projects, Disney also distributes Fox films.
- Three more "Avatar" sequels, a fifth "Toy Story" film, and another "Incredibles" movie are on the way.
Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview
Thanks for signing up! Go to newsletter preferences
Thanks for signing up!
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.
Advertisem*nt
The following list contains Walt Disney Studios' theatrical film slate as of August 13, 2024.
Disney has announced sequels and remakes of fan favorites, including "Frozen," "Lilo & Stitch," and "Freaky Friday" over the next few years, suggesting it is leaning on its most popular franchises to attract larger audiences to theaters.
Disney's biennial fan event, D23, which ran from August 9 to 11, showcased teasers and concept art for its most anticipated movies from its various production companies.
Between Pixar, Disney Animation, Searchlight, 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm, and Marvel, Disney now owns the rights to a varied slate that includes upcoming kids' films like "Zootopia 2" to more adult offerings like "Nightbitch" and "Blade."
Advertisem*nt
At D23, Disney also announced a new "Incredibles" sequel, confirmed "Frozen" will get two more sequels, and revealed that "Freakier Friday" is the title of the highly-anticipated "Freaky Friday" sequel.
If you have lost track of the multiple Disney projects in the works, here's a list of movies due to be released by 2031.
Advertisem*nt
"Alien: Romulus" — August 16, 2024
This will be the first new "Alien" film release since Disney acquired Fox in 2019.
Directed by Fede Álvarez and starring Cailee Spaeny, "Alien: Romulus" follows a group of space colonizers who face off against an alien threat while scavenging from a derelict space station.
The movie takes place between 1979's "Alien" and 1986's "Aliens."
Advertisem*nt
"A Real Pain" — November 11, 2024
"A Real Pain," directed by Jesse Eisenberg, follows two cousins who go on a tour through Poland to honor their grandmother.
Eisenberg and "Succession" star Kieran Culkin play the two cousins.
Advertisem*nt
"Moana 2" — November 27, 2024
In February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that "Moana 2," originally planned as a TV series, would be coming to theaters.
"'Moana' remains an incredibly popular franchise," Iger said, "and we can't wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when 'Moana 2' comes to theaters this November."
During the D23 showcase, Disney shared the official trailer for the film, which shows Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) and Maui (Dwayne Johnson) going on another quest to unite the island tribes in Oceania.
The upcoming film is directed by Dave Derrick Jr. and will feature music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa'i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina.
Advertisem*nt
"Nightbitch" — December 6, 2024
Based on Rachel Yoder's debut novel "Nightbitch," the film follows a woman who pauses her career to become a stay-at-home mother. When she starts to notice strange things happening, she fears she is losing her mind.
Amy Adams plays the titular character, and Marielle Heller is the director.
Advertisem*nt
"Mufasa: The Lion King" — December 20, 2024
Barry Jenkins, the director of "Moonlight," is directing a prequel to the 2019 live-action remake of "The Lion King."
"'Mufasa' is the origin story of one of the greatest kings in the history of pride lions," Jenkins told fans at 2022's D23 Expo, saying that the film will be told in different time frames as it shifts between the present and past.
Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa are all narrating Mufasa's story, which will show how he came into power.
"Mufasa was actually an orphaned cub who had to navigate the world alone, by himself," Jenkins said of the prequel. "In telling this story, we get to experience the real journey of how Mufasa found his place in the Circle of Life."
You can read more about "The Lion King" prequel here.
Advertisem*nt
"A Complete Unknown" — December 25, 2024
Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in the James Mangold-directed movie "A Complete Unknown."
The film, which also stars Elle Fanning and Edward Norton, focuses on the controversial period when Dylan transitioned from playing folk music to rock.
Advertisem*nt
"Freakier Friday" — 2025
For two years, "Freaky Friday" stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan said they were keen to do a sequel to the 2003 movie. Disney is finally granting their wish, and production on the sequel began in June.
At D23, Disney revealed that the film will be called "Freakier Friday," and Curtis and Lohan will return as the mother-daughter duo Tess (Curtis) and Anna Coleman (Lohan).
Anna has a daughter but is about to get a stepdaughter when she marries her fiancée. "The Good Place" star Manny Jacinto will play Lohan's husband.
Chad Michael Murray, who played bad boy Jake in the first movie, is reprising his role alongside Mark Harmon, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Rosalind Chao. "Never Have I Ever" actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan will also star in the film.
Advertisem*nt
"Captain America: Brave New World" — February 14, 2025
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is the new Captain America in the fourth film in the franchise.
Harrison Ford, Tim Blake Nelson, and Giancarlo Esposito will play the three main antagonists in the movie: Red Hulk (Ford), The Leader (Nelson), and Sidewinder (Esposito).
In June 2023, Marvel Studios changed the film's title from "Captain America: New World Order."
Read more about "Captain American: New World Order" here.
Advertisem*nt
"Snow White" — March 21, 2025
Marc Webb ("The Amazing Spider-Man") directs the upcoming adaptation with "West Side Story" star Rachel Zeglerplaying the iconic Disney princess. Gal Gadot assumes the role of her stepmother, the Evil Queen.
"Snow White is the girl you remember, but she's definitely made for the modern age," Zegler told the D23 crowd. "There's such an emphasis on what it really means to be the fairest of them all. For Snow White, it's coming to terms with finding herself and finding her inner voice and finding a sense of agency so that she can be a just ruler and a wonderful queen."
The fairy tale will have new music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who wrote the songs for "The Greatest Showman" and "La La Land."
The film was pushed back an entire year in October 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Advertisem*nt
"The Amateur" — April 11, 2025
20th Century Studios' spy thriller stars Rami Malek as a CIA cryptographer who loses his wife in a terrorist attack.
When the agency won't go after her killer due to an internal conflict, Malek's character blackmails the CIA.
Rachel Brosnahan, Laurence Fishburne, and Julianne Nicholson also star.
Advertisem*nt
"Thunderbolts*" — May 2, 2025
"Thunderbolts*" appears to be Marvel's version of "The Suicide Squad."
The upcoming movie features a ragtag bunch of antiheroes, including a group of characters we've seen introduced in various films and Disney+ shows.
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), US Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) will all star in the upcoming movie.
Advertisem*nt
"Elio" — June 13, 2025
Pixar's next film follows an 11-year-old who meets aliens and becomes Earth's ambassador.
Adrian Molina, who co-wrote and co-directed "Coco," will direct the new original movie. It stars Yonas Kibreab as Elio, Zoe Saldaña as Elio's aunt, America Ferrera as Elio's mother, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa, and Brad Garrett as Ambassador Grigon.
Advertisem*nt
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" — July 25, 2025
Matt Shakman, director of "WandaVision," will direct the reboot set in a technologically advanced version of 1960s New York.
The main heroes are Pedro Pascal, who stars as Mr. Fantastic; Vanessa Kirby as the Invisible Woman; Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch; and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing.
The heroes will face off against Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson).
You can read more "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" here.
Advertisem*nt
Live-action "Lilo & Stitch" remake — Summer 2025
"" is finally getting the live-action treatment, and a first look at Stitch was released at the D23 event.
The original animated movie followed the relationship between a child named Lilo and an indestructible alien named Stitch who escapes capture and crashes down on Earth.
The original Stitch voice actor, Chris Sanders, will return, while Maia Kealoha plays Lilo, Sydney Elizabeth Agudong plays Lilo's sister, Nani, and Kaipo Dudoit plays Nani's love interest, David Kawena.
Advertisem*nt
"Tron: Ares" — October 20, 2025
This is the third entry in the "Tron" franchise, 45 years after the first movie was released.
Instead of a human entering the digital world, this film follows a sophisticated program called Ares (Jared Leto), who enters the real world and causes a clash between humans and AI.
Jeff Bridges, who starred in the first two films, will appear in "Tron: Ares" alongside Evan Peters and Greta Lee.
Advertisem*nt
"Blade" — November 7, 2025
Although Wesley Snipes originated the role in the 1998 movie, Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali is playing the human/vampire hybrid, who protects humans from vampires, in the reboot.
Ali's Blade was first teased in a post-credit scene of "Eternals." Although the film has been hit with production delays, it is still scheduled for release in November 2025.
Advertisem*nt
"Zootopia 2" — November 26, 2025
Judy Hopper (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are back on another adventure.
At D23, Disney announced that Ke Huy Quan would join the sequel as a snake called Gary.
Advertisem*nt
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" — December 19, 2025
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" was shot alongside "Avatar 2," but the former film's release was pushed back to 2024.
No details have been released, but Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and the rest of the main cast will likely return for another adventure in Pandora since they didn't die in the last film.
Advertisem*nt
Disney currently has three untitled projects set for release in 2025.
This list does not contain 20th Century and Searchlight Pictures films.
May 23, 2025 — untitled Disney film
August 8, 2025 — untitled Disney film
September 12, 2025 — untitled Disney film
Advertisem*nt
"Hoppers" — March 6, 2026
At D23, Pixar announced that Daniel Chong, the storyboard artist on "Bolt" and "Minions," would direct a new original movie called "Hoppers."
The film follows a young girl, Mabel (Piper Curda), who transfers her consciousness into a robot beaver to go undercover in the animal kingdom. Variety reported that Mabel will unite the animals against a real estate developer.
Essentially, it's "Avatar" with beavers.
Jon Hamm and Bobby Moynihan will also star in the movie.
Advertisem*nt
"Avengers: Doomsday" — May 1, 2026
The next "Avengers" movie was originally titled "Avengers: Kang Dynasty" and was supposed to revolve around Jonathan Major's villain Kang. In December, Marvel severed ties with Majors hours after the actor was convicted of domestic violence charges.
In July, Marvel announced at the San Diego Comic-Con that Doctor Doom would be the main villain of "Avengers 5," played by Robert Downey Jr.. This will be Downey Jr.'s first Marvel project since Iron Man died in 2019's "Avengers: Endgame."
The Russo Brothers, who directed "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame," are also returning to direct this film.
You can read more about "Avengers: Doomsday" here.
Advertisem*nt
"The Mandalorian and Grogu" — May 22, 2026
Pedro Pascal's Mandalorian is finally coming to the big screen with Grogu (aka Baby Yoda).
Lucasfilm has released three seasons of "The Mandalorian," which follows a bounty hunter who finds a young alien (Grogu) and decides to raise him.
"The Mandalorian" showrunner Jon Favreau will direct the movie.
At D23, Disney teased the return of the Mandalorian's iconic Razor Crest ship, which was destroyed in season two. "Star Wars: Rebels" character Zeb Orrelios will also appear in the movie.
Advertisem*nt
"Toy Story 5" — June 19, 2026
"Finding Nemo" director Andrew Stanton is directing the next "Toy Story" film.
This time, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the gang compete against a digital threat for children's attention.
Advertisem*nt
Live-action "Moana" remake — July 10, 2026
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced the live-action adaptation during a prerecorded video for a shareholders meeting in early April.
Johnson will reprise his role from the hit 2016 movie as Maui. Original Moana actor Auli'i Cravalho announced on Instagram she won't reprise her role as the Disney princess.
Instead, she'll serve as an executive producer.
Advertisem*nt
Untitled "Star Wars" movie — December 18, 2026
Over the last few years, Disney has announced multiple "Star Wars" movie projects, but none have been given release dates.
This slot could be filled by Taika Waititi's "Star Wars" movie or the start of a new "Star Wars" trilogy that revolves around Rey (Daisy Ridley) rebuilding the Jedi order.
Advertisem*nt
Disney currently has 8 other untitled Disney and Marvel projects set for release in 2026.
This list does not contain 20th Century and Searchlight Pictures films.
January 16, 2026 — untitled Disney film
February 13, 2026 — untitled Marvel movie
March 27, 2026 — untitled Disney film
April 17, 2026 — untitled Disney film
August 7, 2026 — untitled Disney film
September 11, 2026 — untitled Disney film
November 6, 2026 — untitled Marvel movie
November 25, 2026 — untitled Disney animation
Advertisem*nt
"Avengers: Secret Wars" — May 7, 2027
This will be the follow-up to "Avengers: Doomsday" and will also be directed by the Russo Brothers.
Advertisem*nt
"Frozen 3" — November 24, 2027
At D23, Disney confirmed they will make a third and fourth "Frozen" movie.
Disney also revealed concept art that depicted Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and the shadow of a horned person who could be the film's villain.
Advertisem*nt
Untitled "Star Wars" film — December 17, 2027
Additional future "Star Wars" movies will be directed by James Mangold ("Logan") and Dave Filoni.
Advertisem*nt
Disney has 10 other untitled Disney, Marvel, and Pixar projects set for release in 2027.
This list does not contain 20th Century and Searchlight Pictures films.
February 12, 2027 — untitled Disney film
March 5, 2027 — untitled Disney film
April 2, 2027 — untitled Disney film
May 28, 2027 — untitled Disney film
June 18, 2027 — untitled Pixar movie
July 23, 2027 — untitled Marvel movie
August 6, 2027 — untitled Disney film
September 17, 2027 — untitled Disney film
October 8, 2027 — untitled Disney film
November 5, 2027 — untitled Marvel movie
Advertisem*nt
"Avatar 4" — December 21, 2029
Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña star in the "Avatar" movies. This film was pushed back from a 2026 release date.
"Avatar 5" — December 19, 2031
James Cameron had ideas for "Avatar 2" and "Avatar 3" in 2010. He originally announced "Avatar 4" in 2012, before revealing he planned for a fifth film in 2015.
Advertisem*nt
"Magazine Dreams" — TBD
The film follows Jonathan Majors as an aspiring bodybuilder. Majors received high praise for his performance in the film at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Originally set for a December 8, 2023 theatrical release, the film was quietly removed from the calendar as Majors' domestic dispute continued to play out in the courts. Now that Marvel Studios has severed ties with Majors, it's unclear what will happen with the film's distribution.
Advertisem*nt
"Incredibles 3" — TBD
At the D23 event last Friday, Pixar announced another "Incredibles" sequel.
"Incredibles 2," which premiered in 2018, was the highest-grossing animated film for six years until "Inside Out 2" overtook it last month.
Brad Bird, the director of the film series, will helm the new project.
Advertisem*nt
"Monster Jam" — TBD
At D23, Dwayne Johnson announced that he was working with Disney to produce a film about the monster truck competition known as Monster Jam.
Read next
More...
Advertisem*nt
