will arrive in the UK ahead of the US, Disney has confirmed.

The highly anticipated blockbuster sees Robert Downey Jr return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), this time as the antagonist Victor Von Doom aka Doctor Doom. Trailers have also revealed the return of the cast from the X-Men movies, the Fantastic Four, and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. It will be the penultimate film in the franchise’s Multiverse Saga, which will end with next year’s .

The global release date for had been listed as December 18, but Marvel owners Disney have confirmed to that the film will release in the UK two days earlier, on Wednesday December 16. This is in keeping with release strategies in the past, as and both arrived in UK cinemas before its American release.

will be the 39th film in the MCU, with one of its biggest casts ever assembled. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen will reprise their roles as Charles Xavier and Magneto, while Channing Tatum will return as Gambit after his popular appearance in . James Marsden will feature as Cyclops in his first non-cameo appearance since 2006’s , while Alan Cumming will appear as Nightcrawler after last playing the role in 2003’s .

The film is rumoured to be a big moment of change in the world’s biggest franchise, with a raft of new characters debuting in the future. A rebooted X-Men cast was recently announced, while Ryan Gosling was also unveiled as Ghost Rider.

One character who won’t be there is Mahershala Ali’s Blade, a project that was officially cancelled in August after years of delays. Recently, the Oscar winner opened up about his frustrations with the ill-fated project.