Summary
Though Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipatedDune: Part Twois not slated to release until next year, the director already has his sights on a third film and is hopeful it will come to fruition.
Before Villeneuve signed on to direct an adaptation ofDunein 2017, his one condition was that he would split Frank Herbert’s iconic novel into two parts due to the complexity and heftiness of the source material. But with the pandemic and uncertainty surrounding the film industry, there was no guarantee that a second part would be made, even with a talent like Villeneuve on board. The first film, however, was a box office success, and its sequel looks to earn more profit.
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In an interview withEmpire, Villeneuve teased that the wheels are in motion when regarding makingDune 3. “I will say, there are words on paper,” said the filmmaker, who penned the first script with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth and the sequel with Spaihts(Craig Mazin and Roth wrote additionalDune 2material). “If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream.”
According toEmpire, Villeneuve would focus on Herbert’s sequel novel,Dune Messiah, for his third film, a story he said “was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero … Which is not what [author Frank Herbert] wanted to do. My adaptation is closer to his idea that it’s actually a warning.” While not official, Villeneuve would inevitably directDune 3, considering his love for the first book. However, while Herbert wrote three more sequels followingMessiah,Villeneuve noted thatifDune 3were to happen, it would be his last. “The books become more … esoteric,” Villeneuve said.
In the meantime, the focus is onPart Two, despite theDune 2release date being pushed backfrom its November 3 release date to 2024 due to the ongoing Hollywood labor disputes. The sequel will cover the second half of the first novel and focus heavily on Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) relationship with the Fremen group and Chani (Zendaya). Villeneuve described the film as the ‘main course’ after the ‘appetizer’ that was the first film, calling it an action-packed, epic war movie.
Other than Chalamet and Zendaya in the leading roles as Paul Atreides and Chani, respectively, the sequel’s star-studded ensemble also includes Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam and Javier Bardem as Stilgar. New additions include Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino,Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, Souheila Yacoub as Fremen leader Shishakli, and Tim Blake Nelson in an undisclosed role.
Dune: Part Twoarrives in theatres on July 18, 2025.
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