Christmas 2017 is Safe as The Grinch Movie Moves to 2018

June 7, 2016

You’ll have to wait an extra year for Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s animated Grinch movie

A new animated Grinch movie is still headed to the big screen, but the Dr. Seuss favorite will be arriving a bit later than originally planned. Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment have delayed Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas almost a full year. Originally planned for a November 10, 2017 debut, the Grinch movie will now hit the big screen November 9, 2018. It becomes the first major release to claim that weekend.

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, upcoming Doctor Strange) voices the title role in the newly-imagined version of the enduring holiday classic. Directed by Pete Candeland and Yarrow Cheney, and adapted from Dr. Seuss’ book by Michael LeSieur, the Grinch movie will be produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and Scott Mosier, and executive produced by Audrey Geisel and Chris Renaud.

In addition to delaying the Grinch movie, Universal Pictures has set release dates for a trio of mystery “Event Films” for release on August 10, 2018, January 18, 2019 and April 10, 2020. Of those three dates, only the second has announced competition. Open Road Films’ Playmobil: Robbers, Thieves and Rebels is also planned to hit theaters on January 18, 2019.

Having the Grinch movie delayed, meanwhile, leaves 20th Century Fox‘s Red Sparrow the only major release planned for November 10, 2017. An adaptation of Jason Matthews’s recently published espionage tale, the film arrives from director Francis Lawrence, best known for helming all three Hunger Games sequels.

How do you feel about the delay of the animated Grinch movie? What do you think these three mystery event films will turn out be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!