The Batman, Matrix 4 and More Warner Bros. Movies Change Release Dates As Dune Delay Sparks Domino Effect

Warner Bros. is shifting the lineup of several of its upcoming movies following Monday’s news that Dune has been pushed back to 2021. The Batman, Matrix 4, The Flash and Shazam 2 are among the studio’s films that have moved around the release calendar.

Warner Bros.’ Dune remake had been scheduled for Dec. 18, but the sci-fi film will now open on Oct. 1, 2021, taking the spot previously held by The Batman. The superhero movie, starring Robert Pattinson in the title role, has been pushed back to March 4, 2022.

As we reported, production on The Batman shut down in London in September after Pattinson contracted the coronavirus. The movie had been back in production for only a few days after initially halting filming in March. Shooting resumed late last month after Pattinson recovered.

Matrix 4 is moving up from April 1, 2022 to Dec. 22, 2021 as the Keanu Reeves sequel completed filming earlier than expected. However, that bump ahead is bad news for those looking forward to the Dwayne Johnson superhero movie Black Adam, which is moving off the Dec. 22, 2021 date to an unspecified time.

The Flash, starring Ezra Miller as the titular superhero, is moving back from June 3, 2022 to Nov. 4, 2022. This means that Shazam! Fury of the Gods is leaving Nov. 4, 2022 and moving to June 2, 2023. Meanwhile, the film adaptation of the video game Minecraft is leaving its March 4, 2022 date and is currently undated.

For the time being, Warner Bros. is keeping Wonder Woman 1984 at its Dec. 25, 2020 release date. The Gal Gadot superhero sequel was initially set to open in June, before being delayed until October and then once again until Christmas. The release date could change yet again given the uncertain nature of the theater industry as movie theaters are still shuttered in New York and Los Angeles.

On Monday, Regal Cinemas announced that it’s temporarily closing all of its locations nationwide. The decision came following the news that the latest James Bond movie, No Time to Die, has been pushed back from Nov. 25, 2020 to April 2, 2021.