Warner Bros. Discovery has announced some big moves today. First up, Salem’s Lot will no longer be going to theaters. New Line’s adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 bestselling novel will debut on the Max streaming service this year instead.
Salem’s Lot reunites the producing teams behind the record-breaking horror franchises The Conjuring and IT. Gary Dauberman writes, directs, and executive produces with James Wan and Michael Clear for Atomic Monster and Roy Lee for Vertigo alongside Mark Wolper.
In Salem’s Lot, author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.
The cast includes Lewis Pullman as Ben Mears, Alfre Woodard as Dr. Cody, Makenzie Leigh as Susan Norton, Bill Camp as Matthew Burke, Spencer Treat Clark as Mike Ryerson, Pilou Asbæk as Straker, and John Benjamin Hickey as Father Callahan.
The company also announced some new theatrical dates. Matt Reeves’ The Batman – Part II will no longer open on October 3, 2025, but will be pushed back a year to October 2, 2026. The first film opened in theaters on March 4, 2022.
The Batman grossed an impressive $772.2 million worldwide, with $369 million coming from domestic theaters and $402.9 million from international markets. The film stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell.
In the movie, Batman (Pattinson) has been stalking the streets for more than a year and striking fear into the hearts of criminals. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred (Serkis) and Lt. James Gordon (Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle (Kravitz), Oz, aka The Penguin (Farrell), Carmine Falcone (Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka The Riddler (Dano).
As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
Taking The Batman – Part II‘s old date is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! The Warner Bros. release stars Jessie Buckley as The Bride of Frankenstein, as well as Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, and Penelope Cruz. Also, Paul Thomas Anderson’s next movie will open on August 8, 2025, and the Barry Levinson-directed Alto Knights will now open on March 21, 2025 (previously November 15, 2024).
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.