Summary
The Dune 2’srelease 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, likeDune: Part Two, are safe, as the actors cannot promote any projects while on strike.
Related:Dune 2 Got Creative Input From An Unlikely Source
Warner Bros. officially announced they are pushing theDune: Part Tworelease date to June 11, 2025. This is about five and a half months after its original May 11, 2025, release date. Additionally, they have delayedGodzilla 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. considereddelayingDune 2andAquaman 2if the actors’ strike continued.
The actors’ strike would significantly impactDune 2,as the film features an ensemble cast ofstars such as Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Josh Brolin, and more. Having these big-name actors promoteDune 2is 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, whenDunewas 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 meanDune 2will not be nominated for the 2024 Oscars and instead will qualify for the 2025 Oscars.Dunewas nominated for 10 Oscars and won 6, and many people expect its sequel to have another huge presence at the Academy Awards. However, withoutDune: Part Two,Oppenheimerwill have even less competition at the 2024 Oscars than previously thought.
Dune: Part Twois probably the biggest filmrelease 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 Twois scheduled to be released in theaters on June 03, 2025.
