With the Hollywood Strike showing no sign of slowing down, more and more projects are finding their way to the chopping block. As of today Ironheart, the relatively new character who made her cinematic debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has had her show removed from the schedule indefinitely with no explanation from Marvel Studios or Disney, their parent company.
Ironheart Made Her Comic Debut In 2016. She Was Slated To Have Her Own Show Until It Was Shelved Indefinitely.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s X account, the following list is Marvel’s current release schedule.
- What If Season Two – around Christmas Day
- Echo – Jan. 2024
- XMen ’97 – early 2024
- Agatha Darkhold Diaries (new title) – fall 2024
- Ironheart – off the schedule
- Daredevil Born Again – paused
- Wonder Man – paused
Four shows are slated for release in 2024 which is remarkable considering the turmoil going on outside of the studios in Hollywood. Daredevil fans have nothing to worry about. Marvel stands behind the popular character and is counting on achieving the same success that Netflix had with Matt Murdock and co.
There may be reason to worry about Wonder Man as that is a low tier character headlining a show that nobody cares about or asked for. Ironheart is an interesting case though. The show wrapped up filming and is in post production. Of course the strike is going to delay everything, including the post production schedule, but to pull the show off of the schedule entirely is curious.
Maybe Ironheart Isn’t A Good Show
When Bob Iger came back after Bob Chapek’s unceremonious exile, he assessed the situation at Disney and stated that the company was going to focus on quality and not quantity. This new mantra could lead readers to believe that Ironheart just wasn’t cutting it in the quality department and was deserving of the Zaslav treatment. There is no other logical explanation for a show that is in its final steps of production to be shelved with no future date attached to it.
Bob Iger (Right) Has Issued The Mantra Of Quality Over Quantity Upon His Return.
Maybe the character is not seen as popular enough to carry a series and Disney is trying to figure out how to angle the show to lure viewers in.
Force Majeure Might Be A Factor
Force Majeure is a clause written into almost every contract in Hollywood. It is in place in the event of an act of God, or a “superior force”- like a strike for example. When something that calamitous takes place, it gives the studio has the right to cancel projects due to the hardship. This allows them to cut their losses.
The Strike Is Enough Of A Reason For Studios To Enact Their Force Majeure Clause. This Allows Production On Projects To Be Stopped Immediately With No Contractual Obligations.
Maybe Disney looked at how much it would cost to get the post production process on Ironheart done with the strike going on. That, combined with marketing and other expenses could be daunting to the accountants at the House Of Mouse, and they may have just decided to pull the ripcord and bail.
Final Thoughts
There isn’t much to opine on here, because Disney as a whole is notoriously cagey when it comes to decisions like this. All I can really say is that this is an odd scenario. If the show was halfway through production, the decision to remove it from the schedule would have been understandable. Given that the show is all but completed leaves us with a real head scratcher.
Until Disney gives us more to write about, all we will have is theories.
Thank You for reading this special report. As the story develops, Geek News Now will provide updates. When I am not writing, I enjoy spending time with my wife Barbara, my three year old daughter Frankie, and my loyal hound Marbles. Please follow us on Twitter/X and don’t forget to subscribe to our brand new YouTube channel. Stay Geeky Everybody!
