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Disney Plots 2014 & Beyond: Two Unknown Marvel Movies and More

by Ethan Anderton
June 13, 2013

We're just over a month away from Comic-Con in San Diego where we'll hopefully be seeing some promising snippets of the films to come in the next couple years. But before that, Disney is looking to 2014 and well beyond with a press release detailing some release date changes for films like Saving Mr. Banks with Tom Hanks (rhyming not intentional) and Brad Bird's Tomorrowland. In addition, one particular title change for an anticipated sequel has been made and two new projects from Marvel Studios have been dated, though we likely won't hear details about those until Comic-Con, or maybe the studio's D23 expo this year.

Here's a rundown of the projects with new release dates and information straight from Walt Disney Studios:

Saving Mr. Banks
Release Date: Limited 12/13/13, Wide 12/20/13
Cast: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman
Director: John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side)
Synopsis: Inspired by true events, 'Saving Mr. Banks' is the extraordinary, untold story of how Disney’s classic 'Mary Poppins' made it to the screen—and the testy relationship that the legendary Walt Disney had with author P.L. Travers that almost derailed it.

Muppets Most Wanted (formerly known as The Muppets…Again!)
Release Date: 3/21/14
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey
Director: James Bobin (The Muppets)
Synopsis: Disney’s 'Muppets Most Wanted' takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. The film stars Tina Fey as Nadya, a feisty prison guard, and Ty Burrell as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon.

Planes: Fire & Rescue
Release Date: 7/18/2014
Cast: Unknown
Director: Unknown
Synopsis: Presumed to be the sequel to Disney's Planes, arriving August 9th.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Release Date: 10/10/14
Cast: Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner
Director: Miguel Arteta (Cedar Rapids)
Synopsis: Based on the award-winning children’s book by Judith Viorst, follows young Alexander through the mishaps of a terrible day for his family after he wishes they all would experience the same troubles he does.

Tomorrowland
Release Date: 12/12/14
Cast: George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy and Thomas Robinson
Director: Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol)
Synopsis: Unknown

Into the Woods
Release Date: 12/25/14
Cast: Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal
Director: Rob Marshall (Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)
Synopsis: Based on the Tony-winning original musical by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim, surrounds a baker and his wife’s quest to break a witch’s curse in order to start a family.  Along the way, they encounter several well-known fairy tale characters, and together they learn what happens after “happily ever after”.

The Hundred-Foot Journey (DreamWorks)
Release Date: 8/8/14
Cast: Helen Mirren has been reported
Director: Lasse Hallstrom (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Safe Haven)
Synopsis: Based on the international best-selling book by Richard C. Morais, tells the story of an Indian boy living in France who becomes the culinary apprentice to his father's rival.

Untitled Marvel Films
Release Date: 5/6/16 and 5/5/17
Cast: Unknown
Director: Unknown
Synopsis: Unknown

All right, now that we're all caught up, let's look at the standouts. First of all, The Muppets Most Wanted is a way better title than The Muppets…Again! Second, we're getting Tomorrowland a whole week earlier than anticipated (in order for it to be released a week before The Hobbit: There and Back Again instead of after). Next, apparently there's a Planes sequel (Fire & Rescue?) in the works for next summer, so Disney is going to milk that faux Pixar property for all its worth even if the first film doesn't look like anything special.

Finally, how about those two Marvel movies? Honestly, this seems like Marvel just staking their claim to dominate the first real summer release slot way in advance, and they may not even know which movies are going to hit those dates. One of them could easily be Iron Man 4, if that sequels even in the cards at the moment, or maybe they're two brand new Phase Three titles that haven't officially been announced yet like Dr. Strange or Black Panther (though the lesser known characters might not be the best option for a big summer release just yet). There's always a chance it could be a third Thor film or maybe a stand alone film for Mark Ruffalo as The Incredible Hulk. Hopefully we'll hear more at San Diego Comic-Con next month.

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