We decode how one movie’s release date change has caused a domino effect for the Warner Bros movie slate; also read on to find out the new release date calendar!
Following postponing the release of the much-awaited superhero movie – Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman 1984 – that was moved from October to December earlier, Warner Bros. has now pushed ahead the release date of another of its most-anticipated movies this year – Dune. The Denis Villeneuve’s star-studded sci-fi thriller that was slated to release in December 2020 has now been postponed to October 1, 2021. The trailer of the film that stars Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Zendaya had been released recently whetting the appetite of movie-lovers across who were looking forward to the screen spectacle. The film being moved ahead will undoubtedly upset fans who’ve been awaiting its release. This push has also caused a major ripple effect, as in turn, Matt Reeves’ Robert Pattinson starrer The Batman has now been postponed from 2021 to March 4, 2022.
While this has been the first postponement for Dune, it is the second time that The Batman has been move ahead. The Gotham-based superhero movie was originally set to release in June 2021. Besides the filming being stalled in March following the Coronavirus global pandemic, the film experienced further production delay upon it’s resuming the shoot recently in September, after Pattinson tested positive for Covid-19.
This shuffle in the release calendar by the leading Hollywood studio has triggered a Domino’s Effect with the rest of their movies’ release dates being changed as well.
The Flash has been pushed from June 3, 2022 to November 4, 2022 which was originally meant for the release of Shazam! 2. Now, the Zachary Levi superhero movie has been pushed ahead from November 4, 2022 to June 2, 2023.
Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson’s DC superhero-debut Black Adam, which was to release in December 2021 currently is without a release year. Among the other films on Warner Bros’ DC slate, James Gunn’s reboot The Suicide Squad starring Margot Robbie is still on for August 6, 2021 making it the only DC release of 2021. Jason Mamoa’s return as Aquaman 2 is so far set for December 2022, as of now.
But not all movies stand to be postponed. Unveiling the new dates, WB revealed that The Matrix 4 will now be a 2021 release. The Keanu Reeves starrer will now release on December 22, 2021 instead of April 1, 2022. The film was slated to first release in May 2021, which then got pushed to April 2022 because of the ongoing pandemic. However, the Lana Wachowski-directed film that is being shot in Germany and also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, besides a host of other leading names including Carrie-Anne Moss and Neil Patrick Harris, has been pulled earlier to once again make it a 2021 release.
New Release Date Calendar:
Wonder Woman 1984 – December 2020
Dune – October 1, 2021
The Batman – March 4, 2022
The Flash – November 4, 2022
Shazam! 2 – June 2, 2023
The Suicide Squad – August 6, 2021
Aquaman 2 – December 2022
The Matrix 4 – December 22, 2021
Black Adam – no release date