‘Dune’ Release Date Slips By A Few Weeks

The Sleeper is once again hitting the snooze button.

According to various sources, Warner Bros. and Legendary’s long-delayed Dune will now release on October 22nd, a few weeks after the October 1st decided upon when its original December 2020 release date proved untenable. The latest shift is part of a larger reshuffling of Warner Bros. features, but Dune‘s move to the end of October continues its strange dance with release.

In fact, Dune continues to be an odd hot potato with WarnerMedia and Legendary tussling over the former’s plan to release it day-and-date in theaters and on HBO Max. Then there’s the film itself, which is part one of a two-part adaptation that, as far as we can tell, has yet to schedule production of the second half.

But then, it only goes to show how difficult it is to make and release adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s sci-fi classic. This version, spearheaded by director Denis Villenueve, stars Timothee Chalamet as a young aristocrat who seems destined to rule the known universe, but is his struggle against a rival barony more than it seems? Also, is his destiny just a carefully constructed lie which will, eventually, doom the human race?

It’s unclear if these questions will be asked, though, as movie studios typically want Dune to be a simple adventure story like Star Wars. That desire led to various failed attempts to make the film, the culty-but-often-dismissed David Lynch version, and a TV miniseries on the-then Sci-Fi Channel. Will Villenueve hew closer to Herbert’s deconstruction of the mythical hero or will he flatten things down to the typical film hero’s journey?

That question has us excited to see Dune whenever Warner finally decides to release it. Currently, it is scheduled for October 22nd.