The impending WGA strike threatens to shake up Hollywood, but it won't have much of an impact on Marvel. As we once again find ourselves on the cusp of a writers' strike, all of Hollywood is on tenterhooks as to whether the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers can avoid another disastrous halt to the industry. Unless both sides can come to an agreement by May 1, strike action could start as early as the next day and mean bad news for the future of our favorite franchises.

As with previous strikes, the news could have a devastating effect on everything from feature films to television shows and put the brakes on any productions moving forwards. Given the comic book powerhouse that is the MCU, fans of the superhero genre are obviously concerned that the strike could doom upcoming films like Captain Marvel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Avengers: Infinity War.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has spoken out on how the impending strike could affect the MCU and in particular Phase 3 - in short, it won't. Talking to The Wrap at the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 press junket, Feige assured us that plans have been put in place for such an event:

“I think the whole industry will be affected, but we’ve seen it coming for a while now, and yes it moved up deadlines."

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Even before this word it could be safely said 2017 releases are safe, with Guardians and Thor: Ragnarok already set for cinemas (as well as Sony's entry in the franchise, Spider-Man: Homecoming), while 2018's Black Panther is also safe after having just wrapped filming. It looks like forward-planning also means next year's films will be most unaffected:

“None of the 2018 movies will be affected. Most of them are set. What it would really impact is future work on future projects.”

It'll have meant more work now, but that makes it sound like Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp are both also locked. However, films beyond that point are something of a gray area for the studio. As it's filming after Infinity War in August, Avengers 4 should be OK, but it seems that even Feige can't confirm or deny what will happen to Captain Marvel (which doesn't start shooting until next February), the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel or the newly-announced Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:

“Most of the movies that we’ve talked about publicly will be okay. For a few of them, depending on how long it lasts, there will be repercussions. But certainly the ones filming or the ones about to start filming have scripts and are set.”

No projects have been announced for beyond 2019, and with Marvel not planning to confirm Phase 4 anytime soon, it may be in flux. The last writers' strike ran for 100 days between 2007 and 2008 and caused huge disruption for blockbusters like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator Salvation, and Star Trek. Clearly, the MCU has taken precautions to protect themselves for the foreseeable future. However, if the strike is as long-term as the 2007 era, expect some of our favorite heroes to power down for a while.

Source: The Wrap

Next: How Many Movies Do MCU Actors Have Left On Their Contracts?

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