Dune: Part Two postponed – here are other films and TV shows delayed by Hollywood strike

Major studios update release schedules as negotiations with striking writers and actors fail to make progress

Timothee Chalamet, Denis Villeneuve and Zendaya attend Dune: Part Two presentation at CinemaCon. AFP

Dune: Part Two will not be released this year.

The highly anticipated follow-up to the 2021 Oscar-winning film is one of the latest major titles to be affected by the continuing actors' and writers' strikes in Hollywood.

Warner Bros has confirmed it is pushing back the release of the sci-fi epic, which was partly filmed in Abu Dhabi, to March 15, 2024. The premiere was originally scheduled for November 3.

Schedule changes will also affect the studio's two other releases. Monster showdown Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will now debut in April 2024 instead of March. Meanwhile, the release of animated film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has been moved from April to December 2024.

Dune: Part Two, which features an ensemble cast including Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet, was widely expected to be a major contender for next year's Oscars. The first instalment in Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic novel won six Oscars out of 10 nominations.

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Zendaya stars as Chani, one of the native Fremen inhabitants of the planet Arrakis in 'Dune'. All photos: Warner Bros Pictures

A March release could ultimately hinder its chances, as many Oscar favourites are released closer to the end of each year.

The scheduling change comes as both the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild remain on strike over wages and other conditions. There has not been any meaningful progress in negotiations.

Under the strike terms, actors cannot shoot or promote any films affiliated with Hollywood's major studios or streaming platforms.

Challengers, a tennis love triangle drama also starring Zendaya, was recently pulled from its scheduled premiere at the Venice Film Festival and pushed back to April 2024.

Striking writers and actors take part in a rally outside Paramount studios. AP

In July, Sony Pictures pushed back two of its major 2023 releases into 2024 – a Ghostbusters sequel and the comic book adaptation Kraven the Hunter.

Animated Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse – the last in a critically acclaimed trilogy – has also been postponed, with no new date given for its release.

Countless film shoots and productions have ground to a halt because of the strikes, and the Emmy Awards were recently postponed by four months, to January.

While late-night talk shows and many television productions were put on long-term hiatus due to the writers' strike, tentpole movies – some in mid-production – have also shut down, from Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel to Deadpool 3.

Here’s a selected look at shows and films in suspension.

Films in production that have shut down

• Deadpool 3 (originally set for May 3, 2024)
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part II (originally set for June 28, 2024)
• Beetlejuice 2 (originally set for September 6, 2024)
• Gladiator 2 (originally set for November 24, 2024)
• Wicked (originally set for November 27, 2024)
• Blade (now February 14, 2025)
• G20 (TBD)
• Lilo & Stitch (TBD)
• Mortal Kombat 2 (TBD)
• Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (TBD)
• Venom 3 (TBD)

Films for which release dates have been postponed

• Challengers (now April 26, 2024)
• Dune: Part Two (now March 15, 2024)
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife (now March 29, 2024)
• Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (now April 12, 2024)
• Kraven the Hunter (now August 30, 2024)
• The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (now December 13, 2024)
• Poor Things (now December 8)
• Problemista (TBD)
• They Listen (TBD)
• White Bird (now Winter 2023)

TV shows that have paused production

• 1923 (Paramount+)
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight (HBO)
• The Last of Us (HBO)
• American Horror Story (FX)
• Big Mouth (Netflix)
• Cobra Kai (Netflix)
• Emily in Paris (Netflix)
• Stranger Things (Netflix)
• Billions (Showtime)
• The Chi (Showtime)
• Yellowjackets (Showtime)
• Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+)
• American Dad (Fox)
• Family Guy (Fox)
• FBI: Most Wanted (CBS)
• Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
• Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Law & Order (NBC)
• Metropolis (Apple TV+)
• Severance (Apple TV+)
• The Sex Lives of College Girls (Max)
• Penguin (Max)
• Hacks (Max)
• Duster (Max)
• The Summer I Turned Pretty (Prime Video)

TV shows that have cancelled episodes

• Jimmy Kimmel Live
• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
• Late Night With Seth Myers
• The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
• Saturday Night Live
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Agencies contributed to this report

Updated: August 27, 2023, 10:02 AM