There’s no denying that the most popular genre around these days is the superhero movie. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy proved that comic book adaptations could be just as dramatic and heavy as non-genre films, Marvel Studios jumpstarted a massive interconnected series of superhero movies that were significantly more colorful and humorous, and audiences have been turning out to both kinds of superhero films in droves. With nearly every major studio now working to turn its own comic book properties into the next big thing, and with Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. plotting out half a decade’s worth of material, it’s sometimes tough to keep track of what’s coming out when, who’s in it, and how it fits into the overall picture. Not to worry, though, because we here at Collider have you covered.
Below, you’ll find a comprehensive guide of superhero movie release dates for every major comic book adaptation on the calendar, going all the way up to the year 2020. Moreover, we’ll be updating this guide regularly with the most current information, so if you’re ever at a loss for when exactly Captain Marvel is supposed to be in theaters, you can come right back here for a quick refresher.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Release Date: May 5, 2017
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Kurt Russell, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Tom Flanagan, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.
What We Know So Far: The main crux of the story involves the parentage of Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, with the iconic Kurt Russell filling the role of Peter’s birth father, Ego the Living Planet. Also, Baby Groot.
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Wonder Woman
Release Date: June 2, 2017
Director: Patty Jenkins
Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, Elena Anaya, and Lucy Davis.
What We Know So Far: Gadot made her first appearance as the character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and will appear in Justice League, but not before she gets her own standalone film, and a World War I one at that. This marks the first female-led superhero movie of the modern era, and it will fittingly be directed by a woman. However, while Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones veteran Michelle MacLaren was previously attached to direct, she departed over creative differences and Warner Bros. subsequently enlisted Monster helmer Jenkins, who herself was previously attached to Marvel’s Thor 2. Cast-wise, Pine plays Wonder Woman’s love interest Steve Trevor, a pilot who washes ashore on Diana Prince’s island paradise and tells her of the horrors of WWI happening in the outside world.
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Spider-Man: Homecoming
Release Date: July 7, 2017
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, Zendaya, Tony Revolori, Robert Downey Jr., Logan Marshall Green, Angourie Rice, and Michael Keaton.
What We Know So Far: Few thought it would ever happen, but Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios came to an agreement in which they will be sharing the character of Spider-Man, with the webslinger first appearing in an MCU movie (Civil War) before getting his own rebooted film. Marvel is taking point creative on the picture, which will bring forth a younger Spidey who is still in high school. The Cabin in the Woods co-writer/director Drew Goddard was first rumored to take the helm, but Marvel eventually settled on Cop Car helmer Watts with Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Vacation) writing the script. Michael Keaton is playing the film’s villain, Vulture, and Robert Downey Jr.‘s Tony Stark will further his relationship with the young webslinger after first appearing together in Captain America: Civil War. The film will have a tech-bent when it comes to the powers of Vulture and Spider-Man, and no, there will not be another origin story.
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Thor: Ragnarok
Release Date: November 3, 2017
Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Idris Elba, and Anthony Hopkins.
What We Know So Far: The title most likely refers to the event from Nordic mythology in which catastrophic destruction comes to Asgard, submerging the entire world underwater and killing nearly every god. Marvel says the “Norse End of Days” is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’ve tapped What We Do in the Shadows director Taika Waititi to take the helm, making for a very curious hire given his background in comedy. Cate Blanchett will be leading the villain charge as Hela, Tessa Thompson is Valkyrie, and Karl Urban is the villainous muscle Skurge, while the MCU is about to get a lot weirder with Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, one of the Elders of the Universe. The tone of the film is radically different from the previous Thor movies.
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Justice League
Release Date: November 17, 2017
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, J.K. Simmons, Willem Dafoe, and Amber Heard.
What We Know So Far: Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated Justice League unites Affleck as Batman, and Adams as Lois Lane, along with Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ezra Miller’s The Flash, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. The villain of Justice League is Steppenwolf, who we saw Lex Luthor summoning in a deleted scene from Batman v Superman. As evidenced by the first footage, there certainly appears to be a lighter tone, and the film will broaden the DCEU so far with J.K. Simmons as the new Commissioner Gordon and Amber Heard as Aquaman character Mera. And Cavill’s Superman is in the mix here somewhere/somehow.
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Black Panther
Release Date: February 16, 2018
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, Sterling K. Brown, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, and John Kani.
What We Know So Far: The comics character made quite the impression with his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, and he gets his own feature film not long after. 42 star Chadwick Boseman is filling the role of the powerful native of Wakanda, an African nation that is isolated from the rest of the world. Marvel says the crux of the film will be how this isolationist nation meets the world, so expect some friction. Selma director Ava DuVernay came close to signing on, but ultimately opted not to helm the film over concerns her artistic voice would be lost in the final product. Subsequently, Marvel hired Joe Robert Cole—who came up through the Marvel Studios writing program—to pen the script, and finally nabbed Creed and Fruitvale Station helmer Ryan Coogler to fill the director’s chair and co-write. He’s forging ahead with quite possibly the most exciting MCU film to date, and he announced his intention to fill out the cast with 90% African and African-American actors, already establishing a fantastic ensemble with the addition of Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Oyoke, and his Creed and Fruitvale star Michael B. Jordan as villain Erik Killmonger.
The story of Black Panther will find T’Challa returning to his technologically advanced homeland of Wakanda after the events of Civil War, only to find himself drawn into a dangerous conflict with an old enemy.
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New Mutants
Release Date: April 13, 2018
Director: Josh Boone
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: Writer/director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) has been attached to direct New Mutants for some time now, but 20th Century Fox has finally confirmed the film with a spring 2018 release date. The cast is still under wraps, but the film is said to be YA-esque in tone, revolving around a group of much younger mutants in the X-Men universe than the adults from the proper X-Men movies. James McAvoy has been rumored to be reprising his role as Professor X in the film.
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Avengers: Infinity War
Release Date: May 4, 2018
Directors: Joe and Anthony Russo
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: Marvel is finally tackling the Infinity War storyline, and it’ll take two films to tell it. The main antagonist will be Thanos (played by Josh Brolin), and the movie will no doubt unite many, many characters from the MCU. Moreover, Marvel adds that Avengers: Infinity War is the beginning of the culmination of everything that has come before. Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo have been tapped to direct both parts of Infinity War, which will be shot at the same time during one long production beginning in late 2016. Moreover, they’ll shoot the entire movie using IMAX’s brand new digital cameras, meaning the whole film will be shot in IMAX. This two-part epic has been described as “the end of the Avengers team as we know it,” acting as a culmination of everything Marvel Studios had done since Iron Man. No pressure.
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Deadpool 2
Release Date: June 1, 2018
Director: David Leitch
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beets
What We Know So Far: While Deadpool director Tim Miller was originally supposed to return to helm Deadpool 2, he left the sequel in Fall 2016 over creative differences. Reynolds and 20th Century Fox subsequently set John Wick and Atomic Blonde director David Leitch to take over, but then came the long process of casting two major new roles. Domino, the female lead, went to Atlanta breakout Zazie Beets, while the casting of Cable proved as lengthy as it was complex. Names like Michael Shannon and David Harbour surfaced, and Brad Pitt at one point considered the role, but ultimately Josh Brolin is the one who signed on to play Deadpool’s favorite frenemy.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Release Date: July 6, 2018
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, and Michael Douglas.
What We Know So Far: Nothing, beyond a title and release date. But the title suggests that Evangeline Lily’s Wasp will be the co-star of this film and not just the “female lead”, making this Marvel Studios’ first release in which the heroine is in the title.
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Aquaman
Release Date: December 21, 2018
Director: James Wan
Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, and Willem Dafoe
What We Know So Far: Momoa made his first appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and will be part of the Justice League ensemble. Warner Bros. has enlisted Furious 7 and The Conjuring helmer James Wan to direct, and after attempting to fast-track this thing to production with multiple screenwriters writing separate drafts, Wan and DC Films head Geoff Johns convened, nailed down the story, and have set Gangster Squad scribe Will Beall to pen the script. The ensemble cast includes Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna and Patrick Wilson as the film’s antagonist, Aquaman’s half-brother Orm.
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Dark Phoenix
Release Date: November 2, 2018
Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: While films like Deadpool 2 and New Mutants moved forward in development, rumors surfaced that 20th Century Fox was also secretly working on the next proper X-Men film. Indeed, the sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse has been firmed up as Dark Phoenix, which will tackle the beloved Jean Grey story arc from the comics that was first broached (and botched) in X-Men: The Last Stand. X-Men writer/producer Simon Kinberg has penned the script and is reportedly hoping to direct the film, which one assumes would bring Sophie Turner back to reprise her Jean Grey role from Apocalypse. But as of right now all Fox will confirm is the title and release date.
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Untitled Animated Spider-Man
Release Date: December 14, 2018
Directors: Bob Perschietti, Peter Ramsey
Cast: Shameik Moore and Liev Schrieber
What We Know So Far: Sony originated this animated Spider-Man movie with an idea by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, with Lord penning the script solo while the duo prepped their untitled Han Solo spinoff. This animated feature will kick off a new Spider-Man franchise different from the live-action one, but the kicker is that the Spider-Man of this movie is the black Miles Morales, not Peter Parker. Which means we’ll get our first non-white Spider-Man in 2018. Dope standout Shameik Moore has been set to voice Spidey, while Liev Schreiber is playing the film’s villain—although character details are under wraps. Schreiber, however, has teased that the film has a throwback tone.
Untitled Fox/Marvel Film
Release Date: February 24, 2019
Director: TBD
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: What kind of superhero movie gets released on Valentine’s Day? In 2016 that was Deadpool, so perhaps the long-awaited sequel won’t be hitting theaters for two years. Or maybe this is a different kind of X-Men spinoff altogether. Right now we have no clue.
Captain Marvel
Release Date: March 8, 2019
Director: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Cast: Brie Larson
What We Know So Far: Marvel’s first female-led superhero film will revolve around the most powerful character in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. This iteration of Captain Marvel will focus on the character of Carol Danvers, whose adventures are earthbound but whose powers are based in the cosmic realm. Joss Whedon wanted to introduced the character at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Marvel didn’t want to bring Captain Marvel into the MCU fully formed without first telling her origin story. Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) and Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) are writing the screenplay, and Oscar-winning Room actress Brie Larson has been set to star. And after a lengthy director’s search, Marvel settled on Half Nelson and Mississippi Grind filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
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Shazam
Release Date: April 5, 2019
Director: TBD
Cast: Dwayne Johnson
What We Know So Far: Making his superhero movie debut, Dwayne Johnson opted to take on the role of the villainous Black Adam in this DC comics adaptation. However, this project is very nebulous and this release date hasn’t exactly been confirmed. Last we heard, Warner Bros. is mulling over splitting this into two movies: Shazam and Black Adam.
Untitled Avengers Sequel
Release Date: May 3, 2019
Directors: Joe and Anthony Russo
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: The conclusion to the epic two-part Avengers storyline will close out Marvel’s ambitious Phase Three with a bang. And the real title is a spoiler.
Justice League Part Two
Release Date: June 14, 2019
Director: Zack Snyder (?)
Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Amy Adams.
What We Know So Far: While Warner Bros. initially announced Justice League in two parts, everything’s up in the air now due to restructuring with regards to DC Films and response to Batman v Superman. Director Zack Snyder has stressed that as of now, they’re only focused on making Justice League, so it’s possible a different film will take this date.
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2
Release Date: July 5, 2019
Director: TBD
Cast: Tom Holland
What We Know So Far: Nothing, but obviously Sony and Marvel Studios plan on Spider-Man: Homecoming launching a franchise, and Sony has already slated the sequel to hit theaters in two years.
Untitled DC Film
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: Nothing at all, but it’s possible that this is either a new release date for an existing DC film or a sequel to Suicide Squad or Batman v Superman. Warner Bros. has finally gotten Ben Affleck to agree to direct and star in a Batman standalone called The Batman, and with Affleck having penned a script with Geoff Johns, that seems like an inevitability at this point. But which will come first, Suicide Squad 2 or Batman?
Cyborg
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Director: TBD
Cast: Ray Fisher
What We Know So Far: Fisher will first be introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and then will play a role in the two Justice League films.
Green Lantern Corps
Release Date: June 19, 2020
Director: TBD
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: This will be a reboot of the Warner Bros. franchise so Ryan Reynolds is not expected to reprise his role—plus he’s also busy being Deadpool for Fox. Green Lantern is rumored to make his first appearance at the end of either Justice League Part One or Justice League Part Two when he warns the team that Darkseid is on his way to bring destruction to Earth. But the title of the reboot tells us this will be a team-up film featuring two Green Lanterns. Tyrese Gibson has been openly campaigning for one of the roles, as the film will find Hal Jordan and John Stewart in a Lethal Weapon-type situation. Warner Bros. recently kicked the tires on this one, hiring David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, Man of Steel) to co-write the script with Justin Rhodes.
Untitled Marvel Movie
Release Date: August 7, 2020
Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: Nothing, since we don’t know what this movie is yet. But Marvel has confirmed that James Gunn is returning to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so this could be a placeholder for that. Or perhaps it’s a different film altogether that we don’t know about yet.
The Flash
Release Date: TBA
Director: TBA
Cast: Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Kiersey Clemons, and Billy Crudup
What We Know So Far: Miller made his brief debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he’s a fully fledge star of the Justice League. After tasking Phil Lord and Chris Miller with penning a treatment only to see them head off to direct the Han Solo Star Wars film, the studio subsequently tapped Seth Grahame-Smith to make his directorial debut on the superhero picture. Alas, after the disappointing reception to Batman v Superman, Warner Bros. opted to change course and parted ways with Grahame-Smith, seeking to find a more established filmmaker in his stead. They settled on Dope filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa, working from Grahame-Smith’s script that will be a buddy film of sorts between Flash and Cyborg, but after months of developing the project and with casting underway (Dope standout Kiersey Clemons landed the role of Iris West), Famuyiwa exited the project in late October.
This now puts the March 2018 release date in doubt, as it was dependent upon production getting underway in early 2017. Now, Miller is due to start filming Fantastic Beasts 2 in mid-2017, which would push production of The Flash to late 2017 or early 2018, meaning the March 2018 date is now pretty much impossible. Not to mention the fact that this movie still doesn’t have a director.
Gambit
Release Date: TBD
Director: TBD
Cast: Channing Tatum
What We Know So Far: Tatum has been keen on playing the X-Men mutant for a while now, and 20th Century Fox finally pulled the trigger on a standalone movie for the fan-favorite Cajun. Production had initially been slated to begin Fall 2015, but when it was pushed back to early 2016, director Rupert Wyatt abruptly dropped out due to personal reasons. Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) subsequently signed on to direct, and while producer Simon Kinberg told us the film will be a heist picture and a “sexy thriller”, the film was pulled from its October 2016 release date and is now listed as TBD. Moreover, due to the delays, Liman has since departed to helm Warner Bros.’ Justice League Dark movie.
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Inhumans
Release Date: TBD
Director: TBD
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: Another comic property that will push the reach of the Marvel Cinematic Universe further outward, Inhumans will introduce dozens of new characters to the MCU. In the comics, they are a race of superhumans whose origins lie in the war between the alien Skrull and Kree races. The existence of Inhumans has been first introduced on ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and now ABC and Marvel are teaming up on an Inhumans TV series, although the official line is that this doesn’t replace the feature film. Still, the Inhumans movie seems like a ways off.
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Justice League Dark
Release Date: TBD
Director: Doug Liman
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: Warner Bros. has been developing an adaptation of Justice League Dark for awhile now, with Guillermo del Toro first writing a script a few years ago before departing the project. But with the DCEU now up and running, Edge of Tomorrow and The Bourne Identity helmer Doug Liman signed on to direct in August 2016 as the film now appears to be barreling right ahead. WB is eyeing an A-List ensemble for the pic, which focuses on the DC superheroes with more supernatural powers as opposed to the bright and shiny heroes of the Justice League proper. The protagonists of Justice League Dark aren’t exactly antiheroes either, as the comics lineup has included folks like John Constantine and Swamp Thing.
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