Denis Villeneuve’s eagerly awaited Dune: Part Two has been pushed back to next year as a result of the ongoing actors strike, which restricts actors from promoting their projects.
The big-budget sequel from Legendary and Warner Bros. was scheduled to open in North America on November 3 in time for its worldwide release, but it will instead debut on March 15, 2024. Legendary and Warner Bros. pushed back Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire back one month to April 12, 2024 (it was initially scheduled to premiere on Dune’s new March 15 date).
In terms of the strike’s impact on the schedule of 2023 theatrical releases, Dune 2 has become the biggest victim to date, which is bad news for theatre owners. However, the effects might have been far worse. Wonka (Dec. 15), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Dec. 20) and The Color Purple (Dec. 25) are Warner Bros.’ three big December releases.
According to insiders, Warner Bros. is committed to theatrical and after the chaos of the pandemic, it is unwilling to move things wholesale, especially with the uncertainty of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Without a strong global publicity push by talent, a film like Dune, which features a star-packed cast led by Timothée Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, would struggle to reach its full box office potential.
Dune Part 2 Cast
The film also stars Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgrd, Javier Bardem and Charlotte Rampling alongside Chalamet. Florence Pugh will portray Princess Irulan Corrino, Austin Butler will portray the much-anticipated Feyd-Rautha Harkkonen and Christopher Walken will portray Emperor Shaddam IV. Furthermore, Léa Seydoux has been cast as Lady Margot, Souheila Yacoub has been cast as Shishakli and Tim Blake Nelson has been cast in an undisclosed role.