The 2020 holiday season just got a lot more crowded. Namely, because Denis Villeneuve’s highly-anticipated take on sci-fi novel Dune has been pushed back from November 20, 2020 to December 18, 2020. Warner Bros. has now placed it alongside the release dates of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake, Tom Holland-led video-game adaptation Uncharted and the Coming to America sequel starring Eddie Murphy.
This date change certainly offers up more competition for Dune than its previous November date, once shared only with holiday rom-com Happiest Season. Warner Bros looks to have pushed the film back in order to make room for an “untitled event film” instead, per THR. Perhaps the studio felt the star-studded Dune could better contend among a crowd of releases than its other mystery release?
Dune stars nearly half of Hollywood’s big names and is helmed by the director of critically-acclaimed hits Arrival, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049 and Prisoners. 23-year-old Oscar-nominee Timothée Chalamet leds the Dune cast as Paul Atreides, a duke who is left to die by rival house, Harkonnen, hungry for power in the planet Arrakis. He instead finds shelter with a desert tribe and heads an uprising against them.
Oscar Isaac and Rebecca Ferguson play Paul’s parents, Stellan Skarsgard and Dave Bautista as members of the devious Harkonnen family, Zendaya will be Paul’s love interest Chani, Josh Brolin plays Paul’s mentor Gurney, Jason Momoa as loyal skilled swordsman Duncan Idaho and Javier Bardem as Stilgar. The film follows the 1984 cult-classic by the same name led by Twin Peaks’ Kyle MacLachlan and director David Lynch.
Dune started filming in Budapest back in March and wrapped filming last month in Jordan, giving the film well over a year for post production. Looks like the production for the film has gone smoothly so far, and Denis Villeneuve has plenty of time to shape his vision for Dune on film for 2020’s holiday season.
The stiffest competition for Dune for now looks to be Uncharted, as Spider-Man actor Tom Holland and Bryan Cranston are set to star in the adaptation of the popular video game on the same release date. Video game movies however, don’t have a great track record on the big screen.
Spielberg’s West Side Story is also sure to be a popular release over the holidays as the famed director brings back the 1961 musical back to theaters. Additionally, Eddie Murphy’s return to one of his most-loved characters with Coming 2 America is sure to bring in some fans, especially since the actor has made himself scarce in movie roles recently.
Since these releases are almost a year and a half away, they could also see some shifting as well before then. While December 18, 2020 is heavy on big releases, Dune does clear a bit of a path for Marvel’s The Eternals coming November 6, 2020. Marvel movies have been the highest earners of 2019 (and now Endgame is the biggest movie of all time).
Are you excited for Dune come December 2020? Let us know in the comments below!
