Warner Bros. Pushes ‘Dune’ Release Back To October 2021

The latest adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction epic, Dune, a remake of the 1984 film, had its release delayed from its original December 18, 2020 date. The new film is being postponed to October 1, 2021 by Warner Brothers Pictures due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the movie theater industry.

While initially planned to be released to 3D and IMAX theaters, Dune will be pushed a year further much like Warner Bros.’s other projects. Robert Pattinson’s The Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman 1984 were all a part of this trend due to poor box office performances on releases during the pandemic.

The film’s director said his team struggled to finish the movie in time for the initial December date. Dennis Villeneuve told IndieWire, “I wanted to readjust the movie. I needed time. At the time I didn’t know that it would be a pandemic… as we were about to go back to do those elements.” He later added, “The impact was that it crushed my schedule right now. It will be a sprint to finish the movie on time right now, because we were allowed to go back to shoot those elements in a few weeks… it meant also that I have to finish some elements of the movie, like VFX and the editing, being in Montreal as my crew stayed in Los Angeles.”

The film depicts the life of Duke Leto and Paul Atreides, who are forced into the harsh desert planet Arrakis, where the valuable “spice” is mined. Spice, in the Dune universe, is a kind of nootropic that can also give the user superhuman abilities as well as an ability to see into the future. Every drug user displays different results; however, they all become hopelessly dependent. The movie is expected to launch a new franchise and stars Timothée Chalamet,  Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin.