'Dune: Part Two' Moves Up Its November 2023 Release Date
By Jeffrey Harris on October 12, 2022 at 12:00 PM EDT
In the latest game of movie studio tentpole releasing chess moves, Warner Bros. has shifted up the release date for the next chapter of the cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune" saga.
As originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the sequel was originally slated for a November 17, 2023 release. It will now release nationwide on November 3, 2023.
'Dune: Part Two' Takes Old Slot Occupied By Marvel's 'Blade'
Warner Bros. quickly re-slotted "Dune: Part Two" after Marvel Studios opted to delay its upcoming "Blade" reboot, pushing the film back from November 3, 2023 to September 6, 2024. Now, "Dune" gets the original release date for "Blade," and Marvel's "Blade" moves to the original release date for "Deadpool 3," which itself has been moved to November 2024.
As a result of the move, fans and moviegoers will now get the chance to see "Dune: Part Two" two weeks earlier than originally anticipated. Deni Villeneuve returns to direct and co-write the upcoming sequel.
Variety reports that the film began shooting earlier in July, with Villeneuve planning to take the production to shoot on location in Budapest, Jordan, Italy, and Abu Dhabi.
"Dune: Part Two" will pick up where the last film left off, as Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen on a warpath of revenge against the Harkonnen and the other conspirators who killed his father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), and bring down his house. However, Paul is faced with a terrible future that only he can foresee, where he will be forced to choose between the love of his life and the fate of the entire universe.
Joining the cast of the sequel is "Elvis" star Austin Butler as the villainous Harkonnen heir, Feyd Rautha, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, and Christopher Walken as the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. Returning for the sequel are Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgård as Vladimir Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Glossu "Beast" Rabban, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as mentat Thufir Hawat.
The first film, released day-and-date in October 2021 in theaters and on HBO Max, was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. It ultimately won six Oscars earlier this year. It grossed $401.8 million at the worldwide box office.
"Dune" and "Dune: Part Two" encompass the original 1965 epic science fiction novel, "Dune," by Frank Herbert, which was first published in 1965. Herbert also wrote several sequels to his book, including "Dune Messiah," "Children of Dune," "God Emperor of Dune," "Heretics of Dune," and "Chapterhouse: Dune." Between the multiple sequels and spinoff novels in the world of "Dune," there is a great deal of potential for future film and television adaptations.
Villeneuve and Legendary are also developing a television spinoff of the feature film, "Dune: The Sisterhood," focusing on the Bene Gesserit Order depicted in the films and Herbert's original novel. The series will star Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson. The series is being co-produced by HBO Max, who will stream the upcoming series.
