Dune: Part Two, Godzilla X Kong: The New Kingdom & The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim find their release dates pushed back.
The prophecy has been fulfilled. After rumours that Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. would push the release of Dune: Part Two, the studio has officially announced that it will be doing just that. Dune: Part Two was slated to hit theaters on November 3rd, but will now be released on March 15, 2024.
This change in release date has caused a little bit of a domino effect. Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire was previously set to be released on March 15, 2024, but will now move to April 12, 2024. That just so happens to have been the date that The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim was supposed to be released, which will now be pushed all the way to December 13, 2024. The reason for the Dune: Part Two delay is said to be because of the SAG-AFTRA strike as the studio clearly wants its stars to be able to promote the movie. Unfortunately, this could be seen as a further sign that they have little desire to come to an agreement anytime soon.
Thankfully, there are a few movies that will be sticking to their release dates. In addition to Dune: Part Two, it had been rumoured that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Color Purple would be shifting their release dates as well, but it sounds like they will be staying put. The Aquaman sequel is still on track for a December 20th release, followed by The Color Purple on December 25th.
Dune: Part Two will “explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.“
In addition to Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides and Zendaya as Chani, the Dune sequel also stars Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Austin Butler (Elvis), Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter), Léa Seydoux ( No Time to Die), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), Stellan Skarsgård (Mamma Mia!), Charlotte Rampling (Assassin’s Creed), and Javier Barden (No Country for Old Men).