The road to Avengers 5 has been bumpy but it seems as though things are smoothing out as Marvel Studios begins the march toward production. First introduced as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty at SDCC ’22, the project quickly gained momentum with Jonathan Majors set to lead the way as the titular villain, Destin Daniel Cretton signing on to direct and Jeff Loveness set to draft the screenplay. Originally slated for a May 2nd, 2025 release as part of the studio’s Phase Six plans, there were rumblings that the production on the project would kick off in late 2023. However, rather than see the project come together, late 2023 saw it fall apart entirely.
I have this opportunity to write a vast, American epic–I’ll use American in a general term–but a big, American movie. I don’t take it lightly and I want to make it this big, sweeping and exciting, funny movie and I think we have the best actor in the world as the most complicated villain in comic books. So I can’t say too much, but we’re really swinging for the fences and I can’t wait for you to see what Jonathan does.
–Jeff Lovenss on Jonathan Majors, February 2023
As part of a complete overhaul of the theatrical slate due in part to the WGA strike, the release date for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was bumped down the road into May 2026. In order to focus on a pair of other projects at Marvel (Wonder Man and the Shang-Chi sequel), Cretton stepped down as director in November 2023. Just a couple of weeks later, Loveness–whose work on Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania was the target of intense scrutiny–was replaced by Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron. Finally, just ahead of Christmas, Marvel cut ties with Majors after the actor was found guilty of reckless assault and harassment. With Majors gone and Waldron on the script, the studio dropped the subtitle The Kang Dynasty and went back to the drawing board, leaving the project draped in uncertainty. However, with the studio aiming to move into production on the project early next year, things are starting to come together quickly.
According to Deadline, Marvel Studios has offered Deadpool & Wolverine‘s Shawn Levy the opportunity to direct Avengers 5.
With Levy’s first collaboration with the studio looking to be a sure hit, Deadline reports that Marvel has given Levy first crack at taking the job and provided him with Waldron’s latest draft of the script. While Levy ponders where the project could or could not fit in his very busy schedule and the studio waits for his decision, they are reportedly scheduling meetings with other talent to helm the project should Levy decline the gig.
Despite a rough couple of months at the end of 2023, recent reports indicate that Marvel Studios fully intends to have cameras roll on the project early next year and have the film in theaters on May 1, 2026. To that end, Marvel reportedly started reaching out to talent earlier this year in the hopes that they’d clear their schedule to star in Avengers 5. Should everything come together, it would not be surprising to see the newly-retitled film be at the center of the studio’s convention circuit this summer, whether that be at July’s SDCC ’24 or August’s D23.
Source: Deadline
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