Disney has officially set a May 27, 2016 release date for Alice in Wonderland 2, the sequel to Tim Burton‘s adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s story. James Bobin (Muppets Most Wanted) is set to direct with Mia Wasikowska returning as Alice and Johnny Depp back as the Mad Hatter. As of now, the only other film slated for release that month is an Untitled Marvel movie that very well could shift dates.
Additionally, Disney set an October 9, 2015 release for Jon Favreau‘s live-action telling of Rudyard Kipling‘s The Jungle Book, telling the story of Mowgli, a young Indian boy raised by wolves who learns to live among the animals. Justin Marks penned the screenplay. No other films are slated for release that month as of now, though I expect either a Paranormal Activity or the rumored Saw 8 may end up somewhere around Halloween.
Finally, Warner Bros. has surprised me a bit, revealing a March 13, 2015 release date for Ron Howard‘s Heart of the Sea starring Chris Hemsworth in the story telling of the real-life maritime disaster would inspire Melville’s “Moby-Dick”. The film will open opposite Disney’s live action Cinderella
I thought this would surely be a player at next season’s Oscar awards, but an early March release date clearly changes that assumption, though it does leave the door open for a chance it could squeak into December depending on the strength of the race and Howard’s post production process.
