It was recently reported that there's a good chance Warner Bros. Discovery will decide to delay many of its upcoming movies in response to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
With actors hitting the picket lines to voice their concerns about poor pay and the threat posed to their craft by artificial intelligence, studios are starting to come to the realisation that they have no cast members to promote upcoming releases. Do flashy premieres and endless junket interviews really matter that much?
Warner Bros. certainly seems to think so, hence why Dune: Part Two, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Wonka, and The Color Purple are among the titles they're considering pushing into 2024.
According to Deadline (via SFFGazette.com), as things stand, Dune: Part Two will be released on November 3 as planned. However, the final decision is going to come down to Legendary, with the studio said to be in "wait-and-see mode." A final decision is unlikely to be made until September when the next leg of marketing needs to kick off.
As for where Denis Villeneuve's highly anticipated sequel would go, the trade notes, "there are three spring options, and you just have to look at the release calendar: March, April or a break in the summer connected to a possible Cannes Film Festival launch."
Warner Bros. has even made the decision to hold three possible dates for the Dune follow-up: March 15 (meaning it would push Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire down the calendar), April 19, or June 21. Still, "if the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA see eye-to-eye by Labor Day weekend, Dune: Part Two could stay exactly where it is on the calendar."
In 2021, Dune received a day-and-date release in theaters and on HBO Max. Despite that, it still managed to earn $402 million worldwide and scored several Oscars. Needless to say, you can probably see why those involved don't want this follow-up to face similar hardships amid the strike action.
We'll hopefully have more to share on these potential delays soon.