Certainly not surprising, but Dune: Part Two has been delayed until 2024 amid ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Dune: Part Two has officially been delayed to 2024 as the ongoing strikes continue to affect movie release strategies.
It seemed inevitable, but the news finally broke that Dune: Part Two won’t be released in movie theaters until March 15, 2024. The film was originally slated to be released in November, but we’ll now have to wait a few extra months to see Denis Villeneuve’s second iteration of the Dune franchise. The movie is co-produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment, who both agreed this was the best path forward.
This comes after a string of movies have already been postponed because of the SAG-AFTRA strikes that are affecting the entertainment industry. Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers and Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls are two of the more prominent movies to already face this same reality. The fall movie slate is getting thinner and thinner by the day, and we just lost perhaps the biggest release that was scheduled for the rest of the year.
Dune: Part Two will continue the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he ascends to the leadership role in his family’s empire. Part Two will include a number of new faces, including Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and Christopher Walken. It was *probably* my most anticipated movie for the rest of the year. I write this news update today in a depressing state.
This is the second movie starring Zendaya to be moved back this year, the other being the aforementioned Challengers. Her following is massive, therefore it’s hard to release a movie starring her without her ability to promote on social media and at live events. I’d assume similar postponements will continue until the SAG-AFTRA strikes are resolved.
This had a domino effect on a couple of the studio’s other releases early next year. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was moved from March to April 2024, and the animated movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim was moved from April to December 2024.
READ MORE: Dune, Denis Villeneuve
Dune: Part Two on Letterboxd