'Tenet' Release Date Updates: Will The Movie Be Pushed Further? [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The info for this story was taken from a report in The Hollywood Reporter, but a source close to the production has told us THR's reporting on the matter was inaccurate. We've updated parts of our story below.  

Christopher Nolan's Tenet was originally set to open July 17, and the entire movie industry – studios, theater owners, etc. – were looking to July as their big comeback month. The month that would cast aside the pain of shutdowns and prove that the summer movie season could be saved.

But that didn't happen. Instead, the coronavirus situation continued to worsen across the country. Warner Bros. eventually decided to push Tenet to July 31, and then push it again to August 12. According to a report from THR, Warner Bros. reportedly out several different scenarios for Nolan in June. Here's how THR runs things down:

After some debate, Nolan and Warner Bros. ultimately agreed to shift Tenet's proposed July 17 release, though only by two weeks, to July 31; then, on June 25, as COVID-19 numbers began to spike in pockets around the U.S. including California, Texas and Florida, Warner Bros. pushed the film again, this time to Aug. 12. "We are very proud of Tenet and can't wait for people to see it in theaters," says Warner Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich. "However, we only want people to go to theaters when state and local officials say they can be safely reopened."

There's been plenty of rumors and stories about what's going on with Tenet. Some people seem to suggest that Nolan is completely ignoring common sense to get his movie out there. However, it's worth noting that Nolan himself most likely doesn't have the final word over when the movie is released, and there's more to this story than meets the eye. But the question remains: will Tenet open in August? Or will we have to wait longer? And if we don't have to wait longer, will the movie-going public feel safe enough to return to theaters? I really don't know. I'm more than ready to see Tenet, and I'd just like this entire situation we find ourselves in to come to some sort of sound conclusion.