With production set to begin later this year, Dune: Part Two's release has been delayed to November 2023. The upcoming sci-fi film will see Denis Villeneuve adapt the second half of Frank Herbert's epic novel, which centers on Paul Atreides as he and his noble family head to the hostile desert planet of Arrrakis to assume control of it. Paul and his family find themselves in the midst of a war for control of the planet, which is home to the most valuable element in the galaxy known as the "spice."
Dune: Part Two will see the return of much of its original cast, including Timothée Chalamet as Paul, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista and Zendaya. The sequel will also feature the franchise introductions of Elvis star Austin Butler, Black Widow's Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Léa Seydoux. Production is set to begin on Dune: Part Two later this year, though it looks as though some plans are changing for the film.
As the cast continues to grow for the film, Warner Bros. has delayed Dune: Part Two's release to November 2023. The sci-fi sequel was originally set for an October 2023 release date, though the studio has elected to push it back by a month. At the time of writing, Warner Bros. hasn't come forward with an explanation for the release delay.
Though shifting the Dune: Part Two release date to competing with the Hunger Games prequel movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, may seem odd to some, it's not the first time Warner Bros. has sought to take advantage of the Thanksgiving season for tickets. Just prior to the pandemic, the studio released Doctor Sleep, The Good Liar and Motherless Brooklyn all in the same month while previous Novembers saw the likes of Creed II and the first two Fantastic Beasts movies bowing to strong box office numbers. Additionally, given November is generally considered the start of awards seasons, when studios release their Oscar-hopeful projects to theaters, it's understandable WB would elect to push Dune: Part Two back by a month in the hopes of drawing awards attention to the sequel.
In addition to announcing Dune: Part Two's release delay, Warner Bros. has also revealed that the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel will hit theaters in March 2024 with Adam Wingard back at the helm. While any kind of delay is generally concerning to audiences, Dune: Part Two being pushed back by a month doesn't point towards any major issues regarding its development, but rather box office planning on the studio's part. In the meantime, audiences can revisit Villeneuve's first Dune movie streaming on HBO Max now.
