Spiceheads will have to wait for their Dune fix just a little bit longer.
It has been announced that Dune: Part Two is no longer on Warner Brothers’ 2023 schedule, with Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sequel now coming out on March 15, 2024.
Initially set for a November 3rd release, the ongoing Hollywood strikes, including the SAG-AFTRA strike, have thrown studios for a loop in promoting their films. With a hotly-anticipated sequel and no prior press for the movie in the can, the studio will look to 2024 as a perfect time and a hopeful end of the strikes.
With this move, though, a ripple effect has taken place in the Warner Bros’ release slate; WB and Legendary’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will now move from March 15, 2024, to April 12, 2024, and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is moving from April 2024 to December 2024.
At the time of reporting, WB has not moved their three massive December 2023 release, including Wonka (Dec. 15), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Dec. 20), and The Color Purple (Dec. 25).
Insiders note that Legendary didn’t want to wait for more time to pass before moving the film, given that studios would need to begin marketing the Dune sequel by early September at the latest. With stars like Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya leading the pack, they’ll need any promotion they’ll get, and no actor is allowed to promote studio releases.
SEE ALSO: Return to Arrakis with Dune: Part Two first-look images
Dune: Part Two will now hit cinemas the same year Dune: The Sisterhood will debut on Max. The video game Dune: Spice Wars is coming out of Early Access on Steam this September.
The highly-anticipated sequel continues Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Timothée Chalamet (Wonka), Zendaya (Euphoria), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Josh Brolin (Milk), Austin Butler (Elvis), Florence Pugh (Black Widow), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), Léa Seydoux (Crimes of the Future), Stellan Skarsgård (Mamma Mia), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), and Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men).
Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
