Due to strike: "Dune 2" will not be released in cinemas until 2024

Luca Fontana

28.8.2023

Translation: machine translated

"Dune: Part Two" should have been released in cinemas this November. Now the release has been postponed until next year. The reason for this is the actors' strike in Hollywood.

Dune fans need to be strong now: The release of "Dune: Part Two" has been postponed - by a whopping five months. Instead of being released in cinemas at the beginning of November 2023 as originally announced, Denis Villeneuve's sequel will be released on 15 March 2024, as revealed by the film's X profile (formerly Twitter profile).

This is why "Dune 2" is being postponed

The reason for the postponement is the ongoing double strike in Hollywood. In May, writers and authors from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) walked off the job. The actors and actresses have also been on strike since mid-July. This comes after weeks of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to lead to an agreement on improved working conditions.

At the heart of the negotiations is the huge growth in streaming services over the last decade. This is because remuneration packages designed for linear television are no longer effective in the streaming age. The unions are therefore calling for a revision of the collective labour agreement, in particular the royalties ordinance. Another important demand concerns the use of artificial intelligence (AI): While authors fear that it will take over their writing work, actors are worried about their digital likeness. The trade unions are therefore calling for stricter regulation of the rapidly developing technologies. So far without success.

Which side will give in first is difficult to predict. Hollywood studios are already complaining about a slump in sales. However, it is also certain that the unions' coffers will not be able to cover their members' loss of earnings indefinitely. What's more, Hollywood studio bosses are quite willing to sit out the double strike stoically - even if it drags on for months.

This is exactly what the postponement that Warner Bros according to industry magazine Variety has agreed with Legendary Entertainment, the studio involved in the production, shows. Apparently, both studios consider it unrealistic that the double strike will end soon. For the stars of "Dune 2", this means no interviews to promote films and no appearances at film premieres. This, in turn, is unacceptable for a prestigious project like "Dune". Hence the postponement of the cinema release.

What to expect in "Dune: Part Two"

The disappointment among fans is likely to be huge. In the sequel, director Denis Villeneuve concludes the story of the first book of Frank Herbert's science fiction classic "Dune". "Dune: Part One" was praised by both critics and audiences. The epic film adaptation of the novel even won six Oscars at the Academy Awards, including the award for Best Visual Effects.

For the sequel, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Josh Brolin and Stellan Skarsgård, among others, will reprise their roles as Paul Atreides, Chani, Gurney Halleck and Baron Harkonnen. The second instalment will also feature Christopher Walken, who will play the dreaded Emperor - enemy of the Atreides family, who have become too powerful for him.

After the characters were introduced at a leisurely pace in the first "Dune" part, the sequel gets down to business. Paul and the Fremen go into battle against House Harkonnen after the murder of Paul's father Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac). This brings with it a marked change in tone, as Villeneuve recently confirmed in Empire magazine: "The first film was more reflective - a young man discovering the world. This time, 'Dune' is a war film."

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.» more

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