Welcome to a special holiday edition of The Sunday Post. I hope Memorial Day weekend is treating everyone well. The past seven days were pretty slow on the MCU news front, at least until Marvel made headlines late in the week by moving major release dates around (make sure to check out The Watercooler below for all the details).

Meanwhile, Friends From Work continues to pump out quality content- Thursday’s main feed podcast featured a thoughtful, compelling assessment of the Disney* era at Marvel Studios, capped off by a fantastic interview with Ian Chang, one-third of Son Lux, the composers of Thunderbolts*. FFW+ listeners were treated to another of Kyle’s lists— this time the 5 Most Over-Criticized MCU Projects.

This is a great time to consider a free trial at Friends From Work+. This week will mark the fourth straight week with a bonus podcast, there is another bonus pod lined up and recorded for the following week, and the Fantastic Four rewatch pods will be firing up before you know it. So head over to Patreon and get your 7-day free trial NOW.

Before diving into the news, a reminder to please check out our partners at Organic Priced Books and Homage. You will not find a better comics or apparel retailer anywhere.

Onto…

THE WATERCOOLER

THIS WEEK IN THE MCU

• Marvel Studios dropped a bombshell last week when they announced that both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars would be shifting their release dates from May to December, in 2026 and 2027 respectively. In my opinion, this is a smart move. These movies are among the most ambitious ever attempted by Marvel (or any studio). The original shooting schedules would have required a tight post-production timeline to make the original release dates.

  In addition to allowing more time for post-production and reshoots, this change means that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to be released before Doomsday (as of now). Why does this matter? For the past two years, rumors have swirled about whether the next Spider-Man movie would be another multiversal adventure or a return to Spidey’s grounded NYC-based roots (as promised in the final scenes of Spider-Man: No Way Home). A release date between Doomsday and Secret Wars would have almost guaranteed a multiversal component to the movie, but now the movie is free to stick to its original plan.

  Lastly, the longer timeline before Avengers: Secret Wars (over 900 days away now) should allow Marvel Studios to make (at least) one additional movie for 2027. I have speculated previously that a sequel to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness makes the most sense to bridge the gap between the two Avengers movies. The post-credits scene of Multiverse of Madness appears to tie directly into Doomsday and Secret Wars.

• An updated look at the full Marvel Studios movie slate:

• Ironheart premieres in exactly 30 days! Star Dominique Thorne spoke to SFX Magazine for their latest issue about where Riri Williams finds herself in the wake of the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

• Marvel Studios has teased that a new exclusive look at The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released tomorrow during game 4 of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals, airing at 8:30 pm ET on ESPN.

• The Financial Times published an excellent profile on The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Fans and readers unfamiliar with the actor will appreciate the deep dive into his acting career, from his work on Girls to The Bear to playing Ben Grimm/The Thing in July’s Marvel blockbuster.

• According to the Slough and South Bucks Observer, Marvel has applied for permission to erect a temporary set to film in Windsor Great Park next month. Per the documents submitted, the set will include a ‘1960’s house’ and a spaceship.

• Marvel Studios has submitted Agatha All Along and Daredevil: Born Again for Emmy consideration in the comedy and drama categories respectively, according to Nexus Point News. Agatha was submitted in 24 categories, including Best Comedy, and Daredevil was submitted in 23, including Best Drama.

BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE

• It was a record-setting Memorial Day Weekend at the box office. Lilo & Stitch reigned supreme, earning an estimated $180+ million domestically over the 4-day holiday, shattering the previous record of $160.5 million set by Top Gun: Maverick in 2022. But don’t feel too bad for Tom Cruise, as Mission: Impossible— The Final Reckoning is poised to set a franchise record despite competition from Stitch, a longer runtime, and fewer theaters than any M:I movie since Ghost Protocol (I had a chance to see The Final Reckoning yesterday). The overall box office is likely to beat the all-time record of $314.3 million set in 2013.

• Summer movie season is just getting started. Jurassic World Rebirth released its second trailer last week, showcasing a return to its original Jurassic Park roots. From director Gareth Edwards, and starring Scarlett Johannson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey, the trailer has major horror movie vibes.

• Disney Animation had its own big trailer debut last week, the first teaser for November’s Zootopia 2. The original movie, released in 2016, was one of Disney’s quietest billion-dollar grossers. The sequel looks to take advantage of its Thanksgiving weekend release window to earn even more.

• I wanted to highlight one more trailer, the official trailer for the fourth (and possibly final?) season of The Bear. All ten episodes will be released on June 25th.

TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK

• As if the Avengers: Doomsday cast wasn’t stacked enough, one prominent scooper claimed this week that Marvel Studios is casting for a new Ghost Rider for the movie and that their top choice is Ryan Gosling. This is not the first time a rumor connecting Gosling to Ghost Rider has made the rounds. Another false alarm? Or is this finally going to happen?

As I wrap up another edition of the newsletter, I want to encourage you all to be more than just passive readers. Please share this with friends and family who are MCU fans or entertainment fans in general. Please join our Discord server and engage with the hosts and our wonderful community. Please let me know what I can do better and additional features or news you would like to see in the newsletter. And please enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend.

See you here again next week,

-Greg