The Deadpool actor was most recently seen in the R-rated action comedy Deadpool & Wolverine, which grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide and became the second highest-grossing film in 2024. Last year, he also teamed up with John Krasinski for the family comedy IF, in which he starred and produced.

Looking ahead, Reynolds has several titles in various stages of development. He is working with directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley on the action-adventure movie Mayday for Apple TV+. While details are under wraps, Reynolds is ed by Kenneth Branagh, Maria Bakalova, Marcin Dorociński, Lovell Adams-Gray, Clark Johnson, and Alex Mallari Jr. in the cast. He's also expected to star in Paul King's Everyday Parenting Tips, Rawson Marshall Thurber's Netflix films Netflix movies Red Notice 2 and 3, and Shawn Levy's Boy Band.

Ryan Reynolds' Animal Friends Has Been Delayed To 2026

This Is Animal Friends' Second Delay

Directed by Peter Atencio with a script by Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider, the hybrid road adventure movie Animal Friends features Reynolds alongside Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, Addison Rae, Dan Levy, Lil Rel Howery and Ellie Bamber. Previously, the movie was scheduled to be released on August 15 while it was being developed at Sony Pictures. After moving to Warner Bros through the studio's deal with Legendary, it was pushed to October 10.

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According to Deadline, Warner Bros. has moved Animal Friends' release date to May 1, 2026. The reason behind the delay is unspecified at this time, but the movie is now set to kick off next summer, along with 20th Century Studios' The Devil Wears Prada 2. Avengers: Doomsday was previously scheduled to arrive in the first week of summer as well, but Disney recently moved the movie to December 18, 2026.

What This Means For Animal Friends

Animal Friends Might End Up Benefiting From The New Date

Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson dances to Bye Bye Bye in Deadpool & Wolverine's opening credits

Summer 2026 might be an even better date for Animal Friends. This year's first week of summer was led by the highly rated Thunderbolts, The Surfer, and Words of War. Further into the month, there have been several major releases, including Lilo & Stitch, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and Final Destination Bloodlines. While another delay may initially signal problems, Animal Friends might end up benefiting from the delay as it helps kick off the summer 2026 movie season.

It's unclear what's causing the delay for Animal Friends, and so far, much like the actor's other forthcoming projects, information about it has been scarce, but Reynolds' involvement and an all-star cast certainly give fans a lot to expect. While live-action and CGI hybrid movies are usually family-friendly, the actor has a gift for combining all-age themes with R-rated fun, which makes the movie something to look forward to.

Source: Deadline

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Animal Friends
Release Date
May 1, 2026
Director
Peter Atencio
Writers
Kevin Burrows, Matt Mider
Producers
Ryan Reynolds, Cale Boyter, Matthew Jenkins, George Dewey