DISNEY is once again delaying the release of “Mulan” due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The tentpole will now open Aug. 21.

Director Niki Caro’s live-action adaptation of the classic animated picture had been set to hit theaters July 24, but with cases of COVID-19 surging again in California and a handful of other states, Disney’s plans have changed. The company is also delaying next month’s planned reopening of Disneyland in Anaheim.

“While the pandemic has changed our release plans for ‘Mulan’ and we will continue to be flexible as conditions require, it has not changed our belief in the power of this film and its message of hope and perseverance. Director Niki Caro and our cast and crew have created a beautiful, epic and moving film that is everything the cinematic experience should be, and that’s where we believe it belongs — on the world stage and the big screen for audiences around the globe to enjoy together,” said Alan Horn and Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Walt Disney studios.

The “Mulan” shift followed Thursday’s announcement that Warner Bros. is likewise delaying tentpole “Tenet” again, this time from July 31 to Aug. 12.

“Mulan” was first supposed to open March 27 in North America and much of the rest of the world, including China, but saw its release date shifted to late July after theaters across the world went dark in mid-March.

Caro directed the feature that stars Crystal Liu as Mulan, a woman who disguises herself as a man to spare her elderly father from military service.

As it stood, “Mulan” would have been the first new Hollywood studio tentpole to hit the big screen once theaters reopened. Those reopening plans are now in doubt.

The “Mulan” and “Tenet” shifts were among a handful of release date changes announced late last week as Hollywood continues to grapple with the pandemic. On Friday, Paramount and Skydance said they were pushing back the release of the Tom Clancy adaptation “Without Remorse” from Oct. 2 to Feb. 26, 2021, while United Artists Releasing is delaying the opening of “Bill & Ted Face the Music” from Aug. 14 to Aug. 28.(SD-Agencies)