The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has struck a deal with the WGA, but still refuses to bargain with Hollywood’s striking actors on issues like fair pay and the use of AI in filmmaking — and that refusal is impacting studios’ release calendars in a major way.
Many films and TV shows have already halted production, but studios are also pushing back movies with already-established release dates, shifting them months or even years down the road. Striking actors are unable to promote their work without risking undermining the strike, so the release date changes seem in part like a tactic to wait out the dual strikes in order for actors and writers to do promotion again. Notably, a two-week extension in the negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP allowed actors to promote major releases like Oppenheimer and Barbie, a clear acknowledgment of the value of promotional work.
Here, in order of new release date, are all the films that have been pushed back as SAG-AFTRA strikes continue.
Poor Things
Emma Stone in “Poor Things.”
Credit: Yorgos Lanthimos/Searchlight Pictures
The Favourite director Yorgos Lanthimos reunites with Emma Stone for this comedic, fantastical take on the classic Frankenstein story, which also stars Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and Christopher Abbott. Despite being pushed back from an initial September release date, Poor Things is still set to make its world premiere at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.
New release date: Dec. 8, 2023
White Bird
Helen Mirren in “White Bird.”
Credit: Lionsgate
2017’s Wonder gets a spin-off in White Bird, starring Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson. The film centers Wonder‘s bully Julian (Bryce Gheisar), whose grandmother (Mirren) tells him the story of her youth in Nazi-occupied France. Originally set for an Aug. release date, the film is now “undated for Q4” of 2023, according to Deadline.
New release date: TBD, fall or winter of 2023
The Bikeriders
Austin Butler in “The Bikeriders.”
Credit: Kyle Kaplan
Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders, starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy, charts the rise and fall of a Chicago motorcycle club. It was originally set for a Dec. 1 release but has now been delayed with no official release date in sight. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, The Bikeriders‘ initial release date would have put it in competition with Beyoncé’s Renaissance concert film.
New release date: TBD, likely winter of 2023 or early 2024
Dune: Part Two
Timothée Chalamet in “Dune: Part Two.”
Credit: Niko Tavernise
Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune comes to a conclusion in this sci-fi sequel. Boasting stunning visual effects and a star-studded cast, Dune: Part Two is the first major end-of-year Warner Bros. release to get pushed back to 2024. The rest of the slate, featuring musical The Color Purple, superhero sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and the Chalamet-led Wonka remains the same for now.
New release date: March 15, 2024
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Moving Dune: Part Two has resulted in the shift of multiple Warner Bros. movies. First up: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong and continuation of Legendary’s Monsterverse.
New release date: April 12, 2024
Challengers
Mike Faist, Zendaya, and Josh O’Connor in “Challengers.”
Credit: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist square off in Challengers, the highly anticipated tennis drama from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino. Not only did MGM, Amazon Studios, and Warner Bros. shift the film’s release date from Sept of this year to spring of 2024, they also pulled Challengers from the Venice Film Festival entirely — a decision which Guadagnino fought, according to the festival’s artistic director Alberto Barbera.
New release date: Apr. 26, 2024
Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Another Warner Bros. movie to get pushed back, Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated adventure set in the realm of Middle-earth. It tells the story of Rohan’s king Helm Hammerhand, the namesake of Helm’s Deep.
New release date: Dec. 13, 2024
Dirty Dancing sequel
Jennifer Grey returns to the Catskills in this follow-up to 1987’s Dirty Dancing, also titled Dirty Dancing. Director Jonathan Levine’s sequel has yet to start filming, but its release date has already been moved from Feb. 9, 2024 to the summer of 2025.
New release date: Summer 2025
Problemista
Julio Torres and Tilda Swinton in “Problemista.”
Credit: A24
Julio Torres makes his directorial debut with Problemista, an offbeat comedy about an aspiring toymaker (Torres) trying to get his artsy boss (Tilda Swinton) to co-sign his visa. Problemista distributor A24 has received interim waivers from SAG-AFTRA to continue shooting independent projects, as they are not part of the AMPTP. However, A24 is still pausing Problemista‘s release in order to support Torres and allow him to promote the film around the time of its release.
New release date: TBD
This is a developing story and will be updated.
UPDATE: Oct. 17, 2023, 5:04 p.m. EDT This article has been updated to include The Bikeriders.
UPDATE: Oct. 17, 2023, 9:34 a.m. EDT This article has been updated to include the new release dates of Dune: Part Two, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and The Bikeriders.
