Marvel’s next big Avengers movie, Avengers: Secret Wars, is supposed to land in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027. That plan is now in doubt. One of its stars has admitted he won’t finish filming until next summer, and that timeline puts the movie behind schedule before all of his scenes are shot.
Anthony Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson/Captain America in the MCU, told Deadline on Monday, Oct. 5 that he will return to the stage as Thane of Cawdor in Macbeth next year. Rehearsals start in February, and the play runs through July. “Once I finish on Broadway, I’ll go to finish up all the Avengers stuff for Secret Wars,” Mackie said.
Mackie’s Broadway Schedule
Mackie’s admission matters because it confirms what leakers had already suggested. MCU insiders have said principal photography for Secret Wars has been delayed to January of next year. Mackie’s own statement now backs that up: he won’t wrap his scenes until July 2027 at the earliest.
That means the sixth Avengers movie would still be filming five months before its planned release. It is a tight turnaround, and it raises the question fans are asking: will Secret Wars get hit with a delay?
The Comparison With Doomsday
Marvel has pulled off ambitious schedules before. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were released in back-to-back Aprils in 2018 and 2019. The MCU is now looking at another one-two punch, with Avengers: Doomsday premiering on Dec. 18 this year and Secret Wars on Dec. 17, 2027.
The contrast between those productions is stark. Principal photography for Doomsday wrapped in Sept. 2025, over a year before its December 2026 release. Infinity War and Endgame were filmed back-to-back with just a few weeks’ reprieve in between.
But there is a difference in scale. Infinity War and Endgame were two movies shot together, while Secret Wars is being filmed with principal photography already pushed back. That distinction matters when comparing how quickly each production moved from cameras rolling to finished product.
What A Delay Would Look Like
The movie-making industry has tricks for dealing with these problems. Actors can film their scenes separately, in front of green screens, much the way Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) did for Avengers: Doomsday. That approach allows production to keep moving even when the main cast is busy elsewhere.
Neither Marvel nor Disney has officially commented on any rumored filming delays for Secret Wars.
The Timeline At A Glance
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Principal photography for Doomsday wraps | Sept. 2025 |
| Doomsday release | Dec. 18, 2026 |
| Rumored principal photography delay for Secret Wars | January of next year |
| Mackie finishes Broadway Macbeth | July 2027 |
| Secret Wars scheduled release | Dec. 17, 2027 |
What Fans Should Expect
The safest bet is to assume the December 2027 date holds. That is what Marvel has announced publicly.
But the odds of a delay are not zero. Mackie’s own admission that he won’t finish filming until July 2027 means the movie is already behind schedule before all of his scenes are shot. Five months of filming before release is a tight window.
The pattern here is familiar. Marvel has shown it can push through tight timelines on occasion, as Doomsday demonstrated with its one-year production window. Whether Secret Wars follows that path or breaks it remains to be seen.
Fans should not expect an announcement soon. Marvel has not commented on the rumors.
For now, the plan stands. Avengers: Secret Wars is still scheduled for Dec. 17, 2027. But the clock is running, and Mackie has confirmed his own schedule.
See the video the story is built around at Polygon.
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