The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was supposed to kick off Marvel Studios’ big television universe on Disney Plus in August, but the show’s debut has officially been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The delay comes after the show was forced to pause production back in May because of the pandemic, The Verge has confirmed. Disney does not have a new premiere date for the show, but it’s hoping to share updates on it soon. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was set to pick up where Avengers: Endgame ended. Steve Rogers’ Captain America seems to have essentially retired after living a different life in an alternate timeline, and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) picks up the shield in his place.
Although we don’t have a full-length trailer for the show, Disney did debut a brief teaser in February during the Super Bowl. The trailer, which also gave us our first looks at Marvel Studios’ two other Disney Plus series, WandaVision and Loki, showed Sam practicing using the shield. It also teased Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) reuniting with Zemo. The character, played by Daniel Brühl, first appeared in Captain America: Civil War back in 2016.
While fans were anticipating delays, not having a new Marvel show on the horizon is a blow. Two other big Marvel Studios productions, Black Widow and The Eternals, have also had their theatrical releases delayed. Black Widow moved from May 1st to November 6th, while The Eternals shifted from November 6th to February 12th, 2021. It’s unclear if Marvel Studios’ WandaVision, which was moved from 2021 to December 2020, will also be impacted.
Many studios and TV networks are facing delays as production issues continue, especially in the United States. Disney CEO Bob Chapek told staff in an all-hands meeting that they were hoping to get back into production soon, but everything is dependent on when people can safely return to work. Disney Plus’ other big show this year, The Mandalorian’s second season, is still on track to hit its October premiere date, Chapek announced earlier in the year.