Dune 2, Aquaman 2, and The Color Purple may be pushed to 2024 by Warner Bros.

Last Updated on July 24, 2023

It is a period of civil unrest. Amidst the tumultuous relations between show and business, there is a great complication in the future of entertainment. The creatives have been outspoken on the lackluster treatment the high powers of the business have been bestowing upon them, and in turn, the content that these studios rely on has hit a snag. While there are still many projects in the can and awaiting release, some of which just needing post-production, a big part of the business is the marketing and promotion. The Screen Actors’ Guild is currently forbidding their talent from partaking in any promotional process with films set to be released.

Since the promotion of the films benefits the most from the stars making rounds and dedicating attention to their product, Warner Bros. is considering pushing the release of their upcoming tentpole films to next year, according to Variety. Dune Part Two, which is currently set for November, was made in association with Legendary Pictures, and according to three separate individuals close to the company, Warner Bros. is looking to delay the release. But first, the two companies, WBD and Legendary, must first agree, then set a date. The publication has stated that Legendary has yet to approach Warners; however, they also cite an additional source – that is a trusted insider – who claims that the movies being eyed for a delay are, in fact, still aiming for the release dates as planned and no formal meetings for reconsideration has taken place. Although the insider fairly points out that ongoing complications from labor strikes can be unpredictable.

Another film that is being said to receive a new release date is the musical drama, The Color Purple, which stars The Little Mermaid‘s Halle Bailey. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is also included in the list of titles that may be delayed. The Aquaman sequel has already had a rough production life with sub-optimal test screenings that called for re-edits and reshoots. The shuffling around of plot points included juggling Batman cameos where at one time, Michael Keaton was said to have made an appearance as a Nick Fury-type overseer for our heroes. Then it was said that Keaton was swapped out for Affleck’s Batman.

Not a lot of details were revealed for the reasoning for these other particular delays, but Variety states this is all likely due to the contract disputes between the AMPTP and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.