The coronavirus has already had a massive impact on the entertainment industry. Movie releases are being delayed and several productions of many Hollywood films has been stopped, and unfortunately the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not immune to the current outbreak, as Disney has confirmed changes to the release dates of every upcoming Phase 4 MCU movie. This just goes to show that the delay of Black Widow has started the domino effect that altered the progress of the next batch of films from Marvel Studios. Now, a new report lays out the possible return date of production for the different projects at Marvel Studios.

RUMOR

An earlier report from Charles Murphy from Murphy's Multiverse, which has now been taken down, stated that Marvel Studios has informed crew members that their current 4-week hiatus has now been extended indefinitely. This means that all live-action productions of several MCU properties has been put on hold. Murphy also shared some of the key points based on the email that was sent which can be read below:

1. All active Disney Plus productions, which include The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision and Loki, are now delayed indefinitely with crew members being informed they “no longer believe a 4-week suspension is realistic” and that they will restart production “when the global health environment allows.” It’s worth noting that these are the only productions detailed in the email which means that there are no crew members currently working on other projects.

2. Crew members were notified that, as of April 3rd, they will no longer be employed on their particular project.

3. It is assumed that this indefinite delay is also in effect for all films in production as well, meaning Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings will be further delayed as well. Its impact on the production timeline of Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man 3 and Thor: Love and Thunder is unknown at this point.

Moreover, Murphy made a recent update to his report and mentioned that the heads of Marvel Studios "have convened and began studying models that might allow them to determine when they can get back to work." One potential projection for work to return in both Atlanta and Los Angeles is the month of September.

WHAT THIS MEANS

Given that it is still unknown how long this pandemic will last, this prolonged delay was seemingly inevitable. While the confirmation only covered the upcoming MCU films, there is a possibility that release dates of the Disney+ shows could be affected as well by the recent changes. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is slated to premiere this August yet, due to the recent developments, it is unclear if the premiere date will remain since production for the Disney+ show has been shut down indefinitely. As for the films, Shang-Chi was just starting off production when the delay was announced while the VFX crew of The Eternals are currently working remotely to finish off the film. These are just a few examples of the ramifications of the current production delay that the studio is experiencing. It makes sense that Marvel Studios is hard at work at forming a solution to this unforeseen mess.

Moreover, a recent analysis from Forbes revealed that Coronavirus cases in the US will peak by early May, which makes the month of September an ideal return for production work. If the studios follow that target return date, the crews will have more time to brainstorm back-up plans and solidify the current changes. This also applies to the current cast of those movies who have yet to start production as they will have more time to prepare for the film. It is also worth noting that the production timeline shift of most MCU properties will have a negative impact on each production's crew and their families. One would hope that Marvel Studios is forming a backup plan for their workforce in these trying times.