Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' Dune has been delayed until late 2021.
According to Collider, the film has been pushed from Dec. 18 to Oct. 1, 2021 as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The outlet also notes that director Denis Villeneuve stands behind the studios' decision.
Dune's delay comes nearly one month after Warner Bros. delayed another tentpole in Wonder Woman 1984, which was pushed from Oct. 2 to Dec. 25 -- one week after Dune was supposed to hit theaters. It also follows the delay of other major blockbusters such as No Time to Die and F9 from MGM Studios and Universal Pictures, respectively.
Meanwhile, theaters continue to struggle, with Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld announcing the temporary re-shuttering of 546 Regal theaters in the United States and 127 locations in the United Kingdom, starting on Oct. 8.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve from a script he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, Dune stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Chang Chen as Dr. Wellington Yueh, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet Kynes, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, Dave Bautista Glossu Rabban, David Dastmalchian as Piter De Vries, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Stephen Henderson as Thufir Hawat and Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck. The film arrives in theaters Oct. 1, 2021.
Source: Collider