Theatrical Release For Dune 2 Has Been Moved Up, Muad'Dib Will Arrive Sooner Than Expected

It's been a big day for release date shifts. First, Marvel and Disney reshuffled the board for Phase V and some other upcoming tentpoles, moving "Blade," "Avengers: Secret Wars," and more. Now, Warner Bros. is also shifting a major release, only this is a change audiences will no doubt be happy about. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Dune: Part Two" is now set to arrive two weeks ahead of schedule, on November 3, 2023, as opposed to the previously outlined November 17, 2023 date.

The two changes are most likely related to each other, as it's worth noting that "Dune: Part Two" will now hit theaters the same day "Blade" was originally slated to debut before moving to 2024. Without the vampire-hunting Marvel pic in its way, Denis Villeneuve's highly-anticipated adaptation of the remainder of Frank Herbert's novel will likely have a clear path toward box office success. So the new date is likely better for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, and better for fans for whom the sequel can't arrive a moment too soon.

Part one of "Dune" was both a commercial and critical success, making over $400 million at the box office, winning six Academy Awards, and landing near the top of the /Film staff's list of the best films of 2021. Villeneuve didn't reveal ahead of time that the film would only cover half of Herbert's expansive novel, meaning many viewers were surprised to discover that the film seemed to end just as it was getting started. But its future was apparently never in question: its second half was greenlit just a day after the first part of "Dune" hit theaters, according to the director's interview with Total Film.

"Dune: Part Two" is now close to a year away, although the film doesn't seem to have wrapped production yet, with shooting locations in Italy, Budapest, and Hungary. When it does arrive, the sequel will introduce several key new characters who didn't appear in the first film, including Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, the daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV. The emperor himself will be played by Christopher Walken, while "Blue is the Warmest Colour" star Léa Seydoux will play Lady Margot Fenring. Meanwhile, "Elvis" star Austin Butler will take on the role that Sting originated in David Lynch's 1984 film. His character, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, is the cunning and villainous nephew of Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard).

"Dune: Part Two" will now hit theaters on November 3, 2023.