Filming

Dune Producers Will Fight Warner Bros. to Keep Theatrical Release


Legendary Entertainment, who financed 75% of the budgets for both the upcoming Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong, is set to challenge Warner Bros. over its decision to release its entire 2021 film slate onto HBO Max the same day as their theatrical debut.As reported by Deadline (via IndieWire), Legendary was “blindsided” by the Warner Bros. decision and is working on a solution to “preserve its franchise potential” by letting it premiere exclusively in theaters. It is also hopeful that Dune’s October 1 release date will fall well past when COVID vaccines are more readily available.

Legendary is also reportedly preparing a possible legal case after it was kept out of discussions of this historic move.As for Dune’s “franchise potential,” it is in reference to the planned two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel and the first film laying the groundwork for the Dune television series.

If Legendary is able to win this battle, it will make Dune’s director Denis Villeneuve very happy, as he recently spoke out against Warner Bros. over its decision and said WB has “absolutely no love for cinema, nor the audience here. It is all about the survival of a telecom mammoth, one that is currently bearing an astronomical debt of more than $150 billion.”

Godzilla vs. Kong may have a tougher time as it is currently is set to be released in theaters and HBO Max on May 21, 2021, but “only if Warner Bros. makes a deal with Legendary that uses as a base the $250 million value established when the film was shopped earlier to Netflix.”Warner Bros.’ hybrid HBO Max-theatrical release model will kick off on December 25 with Wonder Woman 1984. In our review, we said it “is a film with a heart full of hope and love; a nostalgic look back to a beloved time that provides escapism from an exceptionally difficult year.”

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.





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