Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve wants to turn Dune into a trilogy.
During an interview with Empire Magazine, the filmmaker confirmed he’s discussed adapting the novel Dune Messiah into a third feature film. “If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream,” he said. “I will say, there are words on paper.”
Dune: Part Two stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, continuing his rise to power as he takes on the Harkonnens to liberate the Fremen. However, his story doesn’t end there. The original novels by Frank Herbert continue Paul’s story, and while Villeneuve’s Dune films set Paul firmly as a savior and hero, he’s keen to show it’s not quite that simple.
“Dune Messiah was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero,” explained Villeneuve. “Which is not what he wanted to do. My adaptation [of Dune] is closer to his idea that it’s actually a warning.”
Clearly, Villeneuve is keen to explore everything Arrakis has to offer. There’s also the upcoming series Dune: The Sisterhood in the works, with Villeneuve on board as executive producer. However, if he does make a third film, it looks as though he’s happy to leave the franchise there. “After that the books become more… esoteric,” he said.
IGN’s Dune review gave it 7/10 and said: “Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is beautiful to behold, a faithful adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel. Or of its first half, that is. And therein lies the problem that the film faces, for in cutting this story into two parts, Villeneuve has front-loaded Dune with a lot of set-up and no obvious way to end things… and so it lingers, and eventually overstays its welcome. This is a technically brilliant, visually amazing movie with a top-notch cast and deep sci-fi concepts. A shame, then, that it feels like a drag in its back half.”
Warner Bros. recently delayed Dune: Part Two several months from Nov. 3, 2023, to March 15, 2024, as Hollywood's writers' and actors' strikes continue. At least partly at issue is the fact that stars Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya wouldn't be able to promote Dune: Part Two if the SAG-AFTRA strike is still ongoing in November.
Want to read more about Dune? Check out what star Rebecca Fergusson thinks of Dune: Part Two as well as our first look at Christopher Walken’s Emperor in the recent trailer.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
