‘Dune’ delayed, ‘Bond’ delayed, ‘Batman’ delayed, everything fucking delayed. We staying home, folks.
Since I’ve last been on the ball, roughly every single movie has been delayed. In the last week, we’ve seen Dune, Batman, and Bond delayed. It’s official, folks. We ain’t going to be seeing any tentpoles until COVID cools down. Which, given its progression in the United States, will be approximately Who Fucking Knows.
Indie Wire:
As the house of cards that is theatrical distribution 2020 continues to fall, the latest casualty is Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Dune,” which has just been moved off this year’s calendar and into 2021. “Dune” will now open on October 1, 2021, just under a year after its planned opening of December 18, 2020, in IMAX and 3D. Collider first reported the news. Warner Bros is not confirming the release date change at this time but we expect the announcement to be made in short order.
The new date “Dune” is moving to is currently where Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” is slated for by Warner Bros. No word yet on where that tentpole is moving. IndieWire has reached out to Warner Bros. for confirmation.
This is the latest major date change from Warner Bros. Pictures, who in September moved “Wonder Woman 1984” to a Christmas Day release on December 25, 2020. The “Wonder Woman” date change marked the fourth such COVID-related shift for Patty Jenkins’ DC tentpole, originally set to debut June 5, then August 14, then October 2.
“Dune” was under the gun to lock picture during the pandemic, as director Villeneuve said in August, “The impact was that it crushed my schedule right now. It will be a sprint to finish the movie on time right now.” “Dune” — starring Timothée Chalamet, recent Primetime Emmy winner for “Euphoria” Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and more — is one of the most anticipated movies of the year for sci-fi fans.
Disney similarly delayed a wave of major blockbusters in September, with Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” going December 10, 2021, instead of December 18, 2020, moving it entirely out of this year’s Oscar season. Marvel tentpole “Black Widow,” starring Scarlett Johansson in the title role, was set to debut November 6 of this year, but Disney pushed it to May 7, 2021.
Another comic-book adventure newly delayed by Disney is “Eternals,” from acclaimed “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao, now debuting November 5, 2021 instead of its previous date of February 12, 2021. Meanwhile, Destin Daniel Cretton’s “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” Marvel’s first cinematic entry to feature an Asian lead with star Simu Liu, will now bow on July 9 next year instead of May 7.
Remaining in 2020 for now, however, is Kenneth Branagh’s “Death on the Nile,” Disney-owned 20th Century Studios’ followup to 2017’s box office smash “Murder on the Orient Express.” The Agatha Christie mystery will open December 18, 2020, instead of October 23 as originally planned.
Variety:
“No Time to Die,” the latest James Bond installment, will be postponed until next year, the filmmakers announced Friday.
The film, starring Daniel Craig in his final stint as the agent formerly known as 007, is expected to hit theaters April 2, 2021, a year later than initially planned.
Since “No Time to Die” moved to the same weekend as “Fast & Furious” sequel “F9,” that movie was pushed back to May 28, 2021. Universal, the studio behind the high-octane franchise, is distributing the Bond film internationally.
Back in March, “No Time to Die” was the first major tentpole to shift its release date before the global health crisis caused by coronavirus could even be classified as a pandemic. After its first delay, the movie was set to premiere in the U.K. on Nov. 12 and in North America on Nov. 20.
“MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, today announced the release of ‘No Time To Die,’ the 25th film in the James Bond series, will be delayed until 2 April in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience,” the filmmakers said in a statement. “We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing ‘No Time To Die’ next year.”
Numerous movies were shuffled around in the wake of “Tenet’s” lackluster U.S. box office performance in September. But industry experts suggested the release date for “No Time to Die” might not waiver because the Bond franchise relies heavily on international ticket sales — and overseas cinemas have seen a stronger return to theaters compared to domestic venues. Yet the decision to move the upcoming Bond entry into next year is not entirely surprising considering coronavirus cases in Europe have started to rise again and New York and Los Angeles, the two biggest U.S. markets, remain closed.
“No Time to Die” carries a production budget over $200 million and cost millions more to promote. The studio reportedly lost millions when it shelved the movie earlier in 2020. Given Bond’s global appeal, the sequel’s backers wanted to wait until audiences across the world felt safe returning to theaters to have a chance at turning a profit.
The delay is another major blow to theaters. Without “No Time to Die,” Pixar’s “Soul” on Nov. 20 is the next big movie slated for theatrical release. However, there are rumblings that Disney will move the animated adventure and possibly even put it on Disney Plus, the studio’s subscription streaming service. Two Warner Bros. titles, “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Dune,” are still set for December, though there’s a chance those could be postponed again as well.
Cary Joji Fukunaga directed “No Time to Die,” with Rami Malek set as Bond’s adversary Safin, Léa Seydoux returning as Bond’s love interest and Lashana Lynch playing a new ’00 agent. The cast also includes Ana de Armas, Ben Whishaw and Christoph Waltz.