First, COVID-19 was responsible for the delay of Dune: Part One in 2020.
Now the sequel film, Dune: Part Two, is temporarily halted for the third time due to the ongoing filming SAG-AFTRA and WGA cease.
On Thursday, Warner Bros. announced that the epic sci-fi movie, starring Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, will now open in theaters on March 15, 2024, according to Variety.
Originally, the second of the two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune was set to be released on October 20, 2023.
But after some shaking and shuffling, to adjust to other studios’ release schedules, the debut was moved first to November 3 and then again to November 17 of this current year.
But in the end, the Warner Bros. Film Group and its co-producing partner Legendary Entertainment agree on a new premiere date of March 15, 2024.
Third postponement: Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Timothée Chalamet back as Paul Atreides after the premiere date for Dune: Part Two was pushed back to March 15, 2024
The strikes of the two unions entail some restrictions. including actors who cannot participate in the press for successful films.
As one of those movies, the star-studded cast of Dune: Part Two wouldn’t have been able to jump aboard the press circuit and promote the big budget movie that was reportedly set to cost $122 million.
Actually, that is more than $40 million less than the first part by director Denis Villeneuve Cinema comfort.
In addition to Chalamet, the cast for Dune: Part Two includes other high-profile stars such as Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken and Lea Seydoux.
With pandemic restrictions on movie theaters lifted, part two is expected to earn more at the global box office than part one, which grossed $402 million against a budget of $165 million.
As part of all the shifts, another production from Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. Film Group, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, also pushed back almost a month from March 14 to April 12.
With Adam Wingard back in the director’s chair, the upcoming monster movie stars Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle and Fala Chen.
The second part, a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), was announced after the success of the first film, which grossed $470 million against a budget of $155-200 million.
They’re back! Chalamet and Zendaya are among the star-studded cast reprising their roles in Dune: Part Two, the second of the two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune.
demanding change; The third premiere date change is attributed to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in New York City and Los Angeles; Jason George, Jon Huertas and Nathan Fillion will walk the picket line on Thursday
The date change is not expected to have a material impact on IMAX, which has released fall products in titles such as The Equalizer 3, Wonka and The Marvels, Variety also reports.
The Writers Guild Of America (WGA), which represents some 11,500 screenwriters, was the first of the two unions to go on strike on May 2.
One of the main points of attention in the labor dispute against the Alliance Of Motion Picture And Television Producers is the residual streams from streaming video.
The WGA claims that AMPTP’s share of these residuals has reduced much of the authors’ median incomes compared to a decade ago.
Expectations: With pandemic restrictions on movie theaters lifted, Dune: Part Two is expected to earn more at the global box office than Part One, which grossed $402 million against a budget of $165 million upon its release in October 2021.
Writers also want artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, to be used only as a tool that can aid research or facilitate script ideas, not as a tool to replace it.
Members of The Screen Actors Guild American – Federation of Television And Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike on July 14 over the ongoing labor dispute with the AMPTP.
The union cited several issues during the negotiations, including “economic fairness, residuals, regulating the use of artificial intelligence and easing the burden of the industry-wide shift to self-taping.”
Both the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA labor disputes contributed to the largest disruption of the US television and film industry since the impact of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.