It’s going to take a live action version of “Moana” a little longer to swim to shore than Disney first expected. The film, originally slated to open in 2025, has been pushed back to July 10, 2026.
That news came as part of a deluge of Disney release date announcements and shifting debuts. The studio revealed that its upcoming “Star Wars” movie, “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” as well as “Toy Story 5,” will hit theaters in 2026, giving Disney a formidable collection of potential blockbusters.
“The Mandalorian & Grogu,” a cinematic spinoff of the hit Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” will open May 22, 2026, while “Toy Story 5” will debut June 19, 2026. It signals that Disney is getting serious about reinvigorating its big-screen “Star Wars” franchise after mostly focusing on streaming shows like “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Its last major film release was 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which was a box office success but a critical disappointment. Since then, Lucasfilm, which runs “Star Wars,” has announced the development of various projects and enlisted the likes of “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins and Marvel head Kevin Feige. Most of these have so far failed to make it to the screen and withered in development purgatory. “The Mandalorian & Grogu” is assuming a release date that had been previously given to an untitled “Star Wars” film from “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi. No word on when the busy Waititi will make that trip to a galaxy far, far away.
Disney also said that “Tron: Ares” will open Oct. 10, 2025. The film serves as a standalone sequel toboth 1982’s “Tron” and2010’s “Tron Legacy.” Oscar-winner Jared Leto and “Past Lives” breakout Greta Lee lead the ensemble. Joachim Rønning, who previously oversaw “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” will direct the film. “Tron: Ares” will face off against Paramount’s animated “Avatar: The Last Airbender” film.
“The Amateur,” a spy thriller with Rami Malekand Rachel Brosnahan, will open April 11, 2025. It had originally been slated to debut on Nov. 8, 2024. “Nightbitch,” a comedy-horror film that stars Amy Adams, will open in limited release on Dec. 6, 2024. Searchlight Pictures, Disney’s indie label, will release that film, while 20th Century Studios will oversee “The Amateur.”
The live-action “Moana” will see Dwayne Johnson reprise his role as Maui. Delaying the movie gives the film more distance from “Moana 2,” an animated sequel that will open Nov. 27, 2024. It faces intense competition on that date from Universal’s “Wicked,” which is trying to attract similar, family audiences. So far, neither studio is blinking.
And bad news for those moviegoers looking forward to seeing the eagerly anticipated “Untitled Disney” movie that had previously been dated for July 10, 2026. That phantom film has been removed from the schedule.
