Marvel Studios has moved up the release of Thor: Love and Thunder. Announced last year at San Diego Comic-Con, Taika Waititi's followup to Thor: Ragnarok was confirmed along with the entirety of Phase 4. The fourth entry in the Thor franchise will see Chris Hemsworth return as Thor Odinson, with Natalie Portman returning as Jane Foster, but she'll also become Mighty Thor.

At the time, the movie secured a November 2021 release date, but that was recently changed. In light of coronavirus shutting down theaters and film productions, Marvel Studios reshuffled the Phase 4 slate a few weeks ago. These moves saw Thor: Love and Thunder move out of November 2021 and receive a new February 18, 2022 release date. The new date ensured that Marvel fans will have to wait four extra months to see the next Thor installment, but Marvel Studios has surprisingly made that wait a bit shorter.

Related: Every Thor: Love & Thunder Reveal From The Director

Disney and Marvel announced more changes to the Phase 4 MCU release schedule today, with Thor: Love and Thunder benefiting from the latest moves. Instead of coming out on February 18, 2022, Thor 4 will now be released in theaters one week earlier, on February 11, 2022.

Thor Love and Thunder Custom header

With Thor: Love and Thunder receiving its third release date, the most surprising part is that it is moving up in the calendar. Releasing Thor 4 one week earlier isn't that big of a change, but it appears the move was made to distance the film from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The Doctor Strange sequel was delayed until March 2022, so this new date allows Thor 4 to come out six weeks before Doctor Strange 2 instead of just five. If these dates stick (which is no guarantee), it will also result in Thor 4 and Doctor Strange 2 swapping places in the Phase 4 order.

The changes to Thor: Love and Thunder's release date comes after Waititi and Hemsworth have continued to tease what fans can expect from the sequel. Hemsworth says the story is insane, which falls in line with Waititi saying it makes Ragnarok look safe. Waititi also recently teased fans with concept art of Meik and New Asgard in the film and teased the inclusion of space sharks in Thor 4. Although this new date now means that fans will get to see precisely what Waititi has in store for Thor: Love and Thunder slightly sooner than before, they'll have to hope that more changes to the schedule do not come. With even Spider-Man 3 getting pushed as part of these new dates, only time will tell whether the lasting impacts of coronavirus will change Marvel's plans again.

MORE: Marvel Phase 4 Is Now Breaking Several MCU Release Traditions

Source: Disney

Key Release Dates