Over the past decade or so, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed the way the industry looks at interconnected storytelling. Rather than just a straight-forward series of films, the movies in the MCU involve a multitude of different characters and time periods, yet they’re all fully linked to one another at the end of the day. This is only possible with intense and careful planning on the part of Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and his producing team. As a fan, it makes you wonder just how far out the Marvel team has to plan in order to get everything to fall together so seamlessly.
Well, there isn’t a definitive answer as to how early Marvel has to begin planning a specific movie, but Feige currently has a road map that extends well beyond what we know publicly. During an interview with Collider, Feige explained that Marvel usually has about five to six years of plans ahead of time.
“To varying degrees of specificity, it’s always about 5 to 6 years out versus what we’ve announced,” Feige said. “So whatever that takes us to.”
So the way Feige phrases things, it’s unclear whether he means five to six years past where we are in the current moment, or five to six years past the plans that Marvel has already announced. If it’s the former, Marvel Studios has plans in place for films and shows through about 2026. If it’s the latter, those plans extend to about 2028 or 2029.
There are currently firm MCU release dates set through the year 2022, the last of which being Captain Marvel 2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been given a 2023 release, but the specific date isn’t set. Beyond that, the only two films that have been officially announced are Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Marvel’s take on Fantastic Four, which will be directed by Jon Watts.
With the roster of Disney+ shows also set to continue growing in the future, each and every year going forward will likely be packed with Marvel content, both on TV and on the big screen. At least we know that Feige and his team have everything planned out for quite a long time.
Are you looking forward to seeing what’s to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? What do you think. is in store beyond Phase 4? Let us know in the comments!