The highly-anticipated sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two has been postponed until next year amid the ongoing Hollywood strikes.

The follow-up to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 blockbuster hit, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson, was due to be released in cinemas on 3 November.

However, Warner Bros. executives announced on Thursday that they had pushed its release back by four months to 15 March 2024.

The release date was previously held by Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which has also been delayed until 12 April. That slot was originally taken by the studio’s animated movie, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which has been pushed back to 13 December 2024.

Warner Bros. bosses have not postponed the entirety of their upcoming slate though. Wonka is still scheduled to be released on 15 December, followed by Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on 20 December, and The Color Purple on 25 December.

The delays are due to the double WGA writers’ strike and SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike. During the latter work stoppage, which commenced in July, actors are not allowed to promote their projects so there would have been no star-studded press tour for Dune.

This is the second Zendaya film to be delayed as a result of the industrial action. Her tennis drama, Challengers, was originally going to premiere at the Venice Film Festival next week before a cinema release in September, but it has since been pushed to April 2024.

Dune: Part Two, the second instalment in the two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel, also features returning cast members Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista and Javier Bardem as well as new additions Austin Butler and Florence Pugh.

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