Deadpool 3, Mission: Impossible 8, Lilo & Stitch among productions halted as actors strike

It looks like Disney CEO Bob Iger made a deal with a mischievous genie to make his wish come true. On one hand: there’s going to be way less Marvel content in production for a little while, so those pesky TV shows won’t “dilute focus and attention” anymore, something Iger really doesn’t think is cool. On the other hand: the cause of this pause is the labor movement, something Iger also isn’t exactly a huge fan of. It might be time for the Mouse House to make a full-length feature on the monkey’s paw to teach him a little lesson.

The Marvel film in question, Deadpool 3—Disney’s first entry into the R-rated franchise since acquiring 21st Century Fox in 2019—was the first major production to announce a filming stoppage today as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike (per Variety). The film was initially set for a May 3, 2024 release date, a timeline that is now very much up in the air. The studio had recently released a widely-shared promo shot of Hugh Jackman once again donning his classic blue and yellow Wolverine uniform for the film and announced that Jennifer Garner would be reprising her role as Elektra for the first time in 18 years.

The Ryan Reynolds-led blockbuster was also one of the first major studio releases to go into production amid the WGA strike just this past May, with the major caveat that Reynolds—who has a writing credit on the film—wasn’t allowed to improvise a single line. His ability to riff is… kinda the main reason these movies are so good in the first place, so all in all this seems like an extra score for the labor movement.

Deadpool 3 is just one of many major films to make this announcement in the coming days. Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 has officially shut down, as has Venom 3. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Beetlejuice 2, Juror #2, and Mortal Kombat are presumably pausing production as well, but haven’t outright confirmed as of this writing. The Wicked films, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, are apparently shut down as the Daily Mail shared photos of their empty sets in the British countryside. The tabloid also lists the upcoming Avatar sequel and Speak No Evil as productions that have halted.

Productions shut down amid SAG-AFTRA strike

• Deadpool 3
• Gladiator 2
• Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part 2
• Venom 3
• Wicked
• Avatar 3
• Speak No Evil

[Update 7/18]: A Formula 1 representative has confirmed that production on the Untitled, Brad Pitt-starring F1 drama is continuing, but the schedules for some actors will change.