Dune: Part 2 is Yet Another Victim of Strikes, Delayed to 2024
No sequel for you this year!
Without a doubt, Denis Villeneuve's Dune was one of the most unique blockbusters of recent times, as this dark epic starring Timothée Chalamet managed to garner great reviews and decent box office despite being based on the book widely regarded as 'unadaptable'.
So it's no wonder that people were eager to see what the Canadian director had in store for them in the second installment of his Frank Herbert adaptation, as the stakes were certainly much higher than in the first.
Fans were happy to know that Legendary Pictures was preparing to release Dune: Part 2 on November 3 this year. However, the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were bound to have some effect on the movie's release, and it looks like the studio decided not to risk the success of their project and wait out the storm.
While Dune: Part 2 finished shooting long before the strikes were even discussed, and post-production was probably wrapped up a while ago too, Legendary did have a good reason to delay the movie's release. Here's why.
Although the actors have already shot the entire film, the ongoing strikes prohibit them from marketing even finished projects, which means that Dune would have lost the promotion of the likes of Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Javier Bardem. This would have certainly made the box office revenue a little less than the studio expected.
Luckily, Legendary has already announced the new release date: March 15, 2024. Yes, fans of Herbert's world will only have to wait five months longer than originally expected, which is not too bad considering how often other studios postpone their movies.
Coincidentally, Dune: Part 2 became the second Zendaya film to be delayed this year. Her romantic sports comedy-drama Challengers was also pushed back to 2024 after the strike broke out, forcing the completed Luca Guadagnino film to be banned from the Venice Film Festival.
Let's hope that Chalamet doesn't follow the example of his co-stars and that his long-awaited Wonka won't be delayed until 2024 — because that would leave us all without a worthy film to watch over the Christmas holidays.