Hollywood strike: Dune 2 and Aquaman 2 delayed?

Will Dune: Part Two be released as advertised on November 1, 2023? Nothing less sure!

according to varietyThe studio is fully reflecting on the potential postponement of its year-end blockbuster dates. But according to a US media source, Warner Bros is yet to agree with Legendary Pictures, the co-producer of Dune 2, to transfer the film, which this time will be an action film according to director Denis Villeneuve.

The strike by SAG-AFTRA, the American trade union representing 160,000 actors and actresses, could indeed last into the fall, according to sources close to the negotiations, which would affect all movie promotions.

Current union restrictions stipulate that actors cannot promote past or future work, such as dubbing posters or trailers, or being photographed.

And the theatrical release of these big-budget films without a marketing campaign and a promotional tour by famous actors like Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem or even Jason Momoa will greatly affect the films’ theatrical reception.

Thus, Warner Bros. Dune 2 by Denis Villeneuve, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (scheduled for December 20) is being explored by James Wan and The Color Purple, which was announced on December 25 in the US but has already moved to France until January 24, 2024.

This Blitz Bazawule music video hosted by Halle Bailey, Taraji P. Henson and Elizabeth Marvel, adapted from the novel by Alice Walker. It was adapted for the screen by Steven Spielberg in 1986.

A serious Oscar contender, The Color Purple therefore requires a big marketing campaign and a big investment on the part of its actors. Therefore, it may be delayed until 2024 in the United States.

variety It didn’t mention the studio’s other feature films, but Warner has a number of films coming out before the end of the year: Jason Statham’s action film In Very Troubled Waters, scheduled to hit theaters on August 2, a movie about DC’s new superhero Blue Beetle, announced for August 16, 2023, and horror film The Nun 2, on November 2. on December 13th and Aquaman 2 on December 20th.

Will all these movies be as they were during the COVID days, or is Warner Bros. planning to base everything on an ad campaign without the cast?

The studio isn’t the only one asking questions, of course, and so there are a number of release delays expected in the coming days, with Dirty Dancing 2 being pushed from February 2024 to summer 2025, for example.