Disney delays Avatar 2

Disney has delayed 'Avatar 2' - but has lined up three new 'Star Wars' films.

The new instalment of James Cameron's sci-fi franchise was meant to hit cinema screens at the end of this year, but the movie giant has decided to push back the release by another 12 months as part of a major shake up at the studio.

The delay of 'Avatar 2' means the third film won't be ready until December 22, 2023 - two years after its initial planned release - 'Avatar 4' has been postponed by a year to December 19, 2025, while the last in the sequel has shifted back to December 2027.

Although fans are no doubt devastated that the movie has been delayed, they won't go without as Disney has teased that there will be three new 'Star Wars' films, which are currently untitled, hitting the big screen in December 2022, 2024 and 2026.

However, they will have to wait three years for the first of the trilogy to drop following the release of 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' at the end of this year.

This will come as somewhat of a shock to fans as they have had a new 'Star Wars' instalment every year since 2015's 'The Force Awakens'.

Speaking about the big gap, Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger said while appearing on Bloomberg Television: "We will take a pause, some time, and reset. The 'Skywalker' saga comes to an end with this ninth movie. There will be other 'Star Wars' movies, but there will be a bit of a hiatus."

Despite the delays and reschedules, this year looks set to be a busy one for Disney as 'Mulan', 'Cruella' and 'Death On The Nile' are all set to drop over the next year.