Disney Pulls ‘Death on the Nile’ and ‘Free Guy’ From December Release

Both 20th Century titles are now unset

death on the nile kenneth branagh
Twentieth Century Studios

Disney has pulled both “Death on the Nile” with Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds’ “Free Guy,” both 20th Century Studios titles, from release this December, leaving the studio with no more major theatrical releases in 2020.

Both films were slated to open in December but are now unset. “Free Guy” was originally set for December 11, and “Death on the Nile” was set for December 18.

Disney’s Searchlight does have “Nomadland” starring Frances McDormand set to open on December 4, but the next theatrical release for Disney or 20th Century Fox is “The King’s Man,” which is currently meant to open on February 12 after it too was pushed back.

This is the latest blow for the 2020 box office, in which numerous movies, not just Disney films, have either pushed way back into 2021 and given up on the 2020 box office or moved the films to streaming services, as Disney did with Pixar’s “Soul,” now opening Christmas on Disney+. Other films like “Black Widow” and 20th Century’s “West Side Story” have all also been bumped into 2020, and it remains to be seen when or how Disney will release both films in an already crowded 2021 calendar as uncertainty about theaters opening continues.

So what is remaining in theatrical release for December? Good question, though for now “Wonder Woman 1984” is still opening December 25, and Universal still has its Oscar player “News of the World” with Tom Hanks and directed by Paul Greengrass set for the same day.

Shawn Levy directs “Free Guy,” which stars Reynolds as a man who discovers he’s actually just a non-player character in a violent video game who breaks free from his routine existence and attempts to break free from the game. The film also stars Taika Waititi and Jodie Comer.

“Death of the Nile,” which is directed and stars Branagh, is the follow-up to “Murder on the Orient Express” and stars Gal Gadot and Armie Hammer in the crime and mystery film based on the Agatha Christie novel.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.