It’s been five years since Avengers Endgame and now Marvel Studios are gearing up for their next epic MCU crossover.

Set for release in May 2026, Avengers 5 was previously titled The Kang Dynasty before Kang star Jonathan Majors was fired from the franchise after his assault conviction last year.

It’s still possible that another actor (John David Washington and Colman Domingo are rumoured to be in the running) could be cast as a variant of the despotic time traveller.

Meanwhile, the latest is that Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy is in early talks to direct Avengers 5, which has been penned by Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness screenwriter Michael Waldron.

Deadline’s sources claim the filmmaker hasn’t given an answer yet and other directors are meeting with Marvel Studios.

Meanwhile, insiders report that Marvel is working on Avengers 5, which is to begin shooting next year for a 2026 release.

The outlet said: “Sources close to both the project say more than 60 MCU characters could reprise their roles, including everyone from Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth and Benedict Cumberbatch to Tom Hiddleston, Simu Liu and Karen Gillian. Unlike the first four films in which there was a core group that consisted of Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Hemsworth and Ruffalo, many of the characters in this film would have equal footing, making it more of an ensemble feature instead of a handful of characters leading the team.”

Plot details continue to be underwraps, but whatever happens will presumably lead into 2027’s Avengers Secret Wars. The latter is based on the epic multiverse comic book storyline where different realities mashed together.

And rumours abound that the likes of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man will team-up with Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man variant to save the MCU.