Moviegoers feared the worst in August when Warner Bros. pushed “Dune: Part Two” from its original November 3 release to March 15, 2024. Amid two guild strikes, many considered the move a major one where other studios would soon follow suit and push their remaining big-budget 2023 releases to next year. But that didn’t happen, and now THR reports that Denis Villeneuve‘s sequel has moved up its schedule slightly, thanks to Universal pushing “The Fall Guy” from March 1 to May 3, 2024.
Instead of March 15, “Dune: Part Two” moves up two weeks to a March 1, 2024 theatrical release to replace David Leitch‘s actioner on the calendar. Villeneuve’s sequel stands alone at that date right now, ushering movies out of the opening months of the year that are always the lowest in terms of box office. And “Dune: Part Two” should be 2024’s first big hit theatrically, as it’ll screen in various formats, including IMAX and IMAX 70mm. Expect the film to screen on IMAX screens for longer than a couple of weeks, considering that the next IMAX-ready film on the 2024 calendar is “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” which comes out on April 12 next year.
But Warner Bros. & Legendary Pictures likely still prefer a different kind of opening for their blockbuster. While the film’s ensemble cast will be available for press now that the SAG-AFTRA strike is over, it’s another film for Villeneuve that debuts on shaky ground. 2021’s “Dune” hit theaters as the COVID-19 pandemic was on the wane with a day-and-date premiere on HBO Max the same day. The film still did well in its theatrical run, but it would have done stronger under different circumstances. So Warner Bros. wants “Dune: Part Two” to reach audiences in the most stable way post-strikes.
“Dune: Part Two” concludes Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s original 1965 sci-fi novel. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya return to star in the sequel, along with Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, and Stellan Skarsgård. New cast members for the film include Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, and Christopher Walken.
But will “Dune: Part Two” be the end of Villeneuve’s adaptation of Herbert’s book series? Not if the director has his way. Villeneuve told Empire in August that he’d love to adapt Herbert’s “Dune Messiah” to conclude his time on the series, making his films a trilogy. “If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream,” said Villeneuve. “[Dune] Part Three,” then, would consist of “Dune Messiah,” Herbert’s direct follow-up to “Dune.” “Dune Messiah” was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero. Which is not what he wanted to do. My adaptation [of “Dune”] is closer to his idea that it’s actually a warning.”
Villeneuve doesn’t want to go farther than Herbert’s second book, though. “After that, the books become more… esoteric,” said the director, and he’s right about that. At the end of “Children Of Dune,” Paul Atreides’ son Leto II merges with a sandworm to rule the galaxy with an iron first, and “God Emperor Of Dune,” the fourth book in the series, jumps forward in time by thousands of years. The series only gets headier, weirder, and more complicated; not blockbuster material. But Villeneuve tackling “Dune Messiah” could be great fun. But let’s see how “Dune: Part Two” does in theaters first.
