The release date of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse just got delayed. Today, Sony Pictures has announced that Beyond the Spider-Verse, the third and final film in Miles Morales' Spider-Verse trilogy, currently doesn't have a date on their upcoming release date calendar. The movie was previously scheduled to release in theaters on March 29, 2024, a slot now given to the untitled sequel of Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
This is not the only movie in Sony's Spider-Man Universe that got hit with a major delay. Kraven the Hunter's release date was pushed back from October 6, 2023 to August 30, 2024, and Madame Web's release changed a bit from February 16, 2024 to Feb. 14, 2024. Meanwhile, Venom 3 gets an official release date: July 12, 2024.
The changes Sony made today, which Variety reported, mark the first release date shifts from a major studio amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors' strike, which started earlier this month.
Sony also changed its release plans for August racing film Gran Turismo. The movie will now be released on August 25, with sneak previews on its original weekend date of Aug. 11 and on the weekend of Aug. 18.
Why was Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse delayed?
In terms of release date changes, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is the biggest strike casualty since it's part of a massively successful franchise. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse earned a whopping $677 million at the global box office earlier this year.
The animated movie was removed from Sony's calendar for now because actors cannot do any voice work, but even before the strike, the movie was expected to be delayed.
Earlier this year, there were reports claiming that Beyond the Spider-Verse's release would get delayed, amid allegations of production issues and animators and artists claiming that virtually no work had been completed.
What will Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse be about? .
While plot details for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse are still being kept under wraps, fans can expect that its story might focus on breaking barriers and not letting anyone else write one's story. This has been a major theme in the first two Spider-Verse movies, especially with protagonist, Miles Morales, who's shown to the audience that there's always a different way to solve a problem.
Beyond the Spider-Verse might also show the background story of Miles Morales from Earth 42, who ended up becoming the Prowler. Gwen and her team of other Spider heroes will probably go on a mission to save Miles. And of course, there's the villainous Spot, who's apparently becoming more powerful.
