Dune 2 And Other Films May Move To 2024 As Studios Refuse Requests From Striking Writers And Actors

Keep in mind, Variety’s sources are cautioning “no formal discussions” have taken place about WB delaying anything at this stage. What’s more, “Dune: Part Two” specifically can only be delayed if Legendary Entertainment, which co-produced the film, agrees, and so far WB has yet to approach them on the matter (again, reportedly). Nevertheless, the fact we’re having this discussion at all is proof positive that, as one Variety insider put it, “the duration of the union battles are completely unpredictable” for the time being.

For “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” this is the second bout of potentially bad news it’s gotten in just the past few days. We only just learned the James Wan-helmed sequel had undergone yet another round of extensive reshoots just prior to the actors’ strike (its third round overall). The film was intially set to open back in December 2022 before being postponed by Covid and then shuffled back again as WB revamped its entire release slate. One can only speculate Wan isn’t feeling too hot about his longtime partnership with WB at the moment, the way the studio keeps jerking his “Aquaman” sequel around to serve its own ends.

Again, had AMPTP actually engaged with WGA/SAG-AFTRA during their negotiations rather than shutting down the majority of their requests (particularly when it comes to the core issues of streaming residuals and AI), we wouldn’t be in this pickle at all. But unless the studios start taking the requests of their creatives seriously, we’re probably going to start seeing a whole lot more reports like this in the weeks to come.