he long-awaited premiere of the second part of “Dune”, a film by Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, has been postponed to March 14, 2024 as US film studios continue to ignore demands from the National Committee of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), who has been unemployed since July 14 due to wage demands.
The first planned worldwide theatrical release date for Dune 2 was November 3, 2023.
The story of Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, will continue next year, Warner Bros. announced in a statement on Thursday, August 24, and fans on social media were quick to express their opinion. Some lamented the new date, but others agreed to wait until the Screen Actors Guild received a response to their demands on the strike, such as adjustments to how it calculates the “final payment” actors receive for redistribution of their programs and that the use of artificial intelligence is regulated or defined.
In addition to Chalamet, the cast includes Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken and Lea Seydoux.
More than 160,000 actors went on strike and, together with the screenwriters, put Hollywood in check
As part of the change, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, originally scheduled for release on March 14, will be pushed back by one month to April 12, 2024. This film is also produced by Warner Bros. in association with Warner Bros. Legendary.
Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, all US film and television production has been suspended indefinitely. Other titles to announce a date change included Kraven the Hunter and the Sony production company’s sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife; and MGM Challengers, through 2024. (E)
