Highlights
- Warner Bros. has officially delayed the release of Dune: Part Two due to the ongoing writers' and actors' strikes, pushing it back to March 15, 2024.
- The strikes have halted writing and filming for projects, causing many projects to be shut down, including ones that had already been completed like Dune: Part Two.
- The delay means that Dune: Part Two will not be eligible for the 2024 Oscars and will instead qualify for the 2025 Oscars, potentially giving other films less competition at the awards show.
The Dune 2's release date was delayed amid the ongoing writers' and actors' strike. The change comes amid a schedule shuffle for another Warner Bros. blockbuster.
On May 1st, the Writers Guild of America voted to strike after negotiations with the studios on a new deal broke down. The actors union, SAG-AFTRA, joined the writers on strike on July 14th when their negotiations with the studios had ended without an agreement. With these strikes, no writing for projects and no filming with actors can be done, which has caused almost every project to shut down. Not even films that have already been completed, like Dune: Part Two, are safe, as the actors cannot promote any projects while on strike.
Warner Bros. officially announced they are pushing the Dune: Part Two release date to March 15, 2024. This is about five and a half months after its original November 3, 2023, release date. Additionally, they have delayed Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which was going to be released on March 14th, to April 12th, 2024. Last month, it was revealed that Warner Bros. considered delaying Dune 2 and Aquaman 2 if the actors’ strike continued.
The actors’ strike would significantly impact Dune 2, as the film features an ensemble cast of stars such as Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Josh Brolin, and more. Having these big-name actors promote Dune 2 is crucial to the film's success, so it makes sense why Warner Bros. would push back the release date so the stars can be available. Additionally, when Dune was released in early 2021 during the tail end of the pandemic, it made over $400 million. That's still a great box office, but it could have earned more if the pandemic hadn't happened.
This delay would also mean Dune 2 will not be nominated for the 2024 Oscars and instead will qualify for the 2025 Oscars. Dune was nominated for 10 Oscars and won 6, and many people expect its sequel to have another huge presence at the Academy Awards. However, without Dune: Part Two, Oppenheimer will have even less competition at the 2024 Oscars than previously thought.
Dune: Part Two is probably the biggest film release this year to be affected by the strikes. Even a handful of actors are starting to get frustrated by the strike. As the writers and the studios have begun negotiating again recently, there is hope that the strikes will end relatively soon.
Dune: Part Two is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 15, 2024.
Source: Warner Bros.