Denis Villeneuve confirms that development on Dune 3 has already begun and discloses a filming timeframe for the sequel. Villeneuve directed and co-wrote Dune and Dune: Part Two, which critics and the general public warmly appreciated.
Dune: Part Two was likewise a box office success, earning more than $700 million worldwide, and was the highest-grossing film of 2024 before being surpassed by Inside Out 2.
Villeneuve has previously announced his involvement in Dune 3, which will adapt Frank Herbert’s novel Dune: Messiah and will be Villeneuve’s final adaptation in the franchise.
Villeneuve told Deadline that “I’m in the writing zone right now” for Dune 3 and that he will “go back behind the camera faster than I think” for the plot that will “finish the Paul Atreides arc.”
When asked about a possible start date for Dune: Messiah production, he said “2026,” but added, “these movies take a long time to make, so it’s best not to say out loud when I might shoot.” Check out Villeneuve’s other thoughts below:
As Herbert did with Dune: Messiah, I think doing something completely different would be great. The story takes place like 12 years after where we left the characters at the end of Part Two.
Their journey their story are different this time, and that’s why I always say that while it’s the same world, it’s a new film with new circumstances.
1. What This Update Means For Dune 3?
Even though production on Dune 3 is still a long way off, Villeneuve is already composing the scripts for the much-anticipated sequel.
He is taking his time, like with Dune and Dune: Part Two, to ensure that the adaptations are captivating and do the source material credit.
His real love and passion for Herbert’s novels and the vast cosmos he constructed is palpable, as is his anticipation for how the tale will progress and alter in Dune: Messiah.
Part Two differed significantly from the original Dune novel, particularly about Chani (Zendaya). These adjustments worked well in the film, but Villeneuve must ensure they also work in his adaptation of Dune: Messiah.
Between these alterations, the 12-year time jump, and the events that occur during that time, Villeneuve realizes how distinct Dune 3 will be from its predecessors. This task excites him as he works on the script and anticipates returning behind the camera.
2. Our Take On Denis Villeneuve’s Comments
It is promising to hear that progress is already underway on Dune 3 and that Villeneuve even has a tentative production window in mind. The time taken on the previous movies paid off, particularly with Dune: Part Two, which remains one of the best movies in 2024.
Villeneuve earned plenty of goodwill and trust after the success of Dune and Dune: Part Two, giving him as much time as needed to perfect the script for Dune 3 so it could live up to the movies that came before it.
3. How did Dune 2 End?
By the end of Dune 2, the film has refocused on Paul’s challenge to become the next Emperor. Paul launches a full-scale offensive on the Harkonnens, ultimately killing Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and fighting his nephew, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler), for the chance to rule.
What happens is what Paul feared most in his visions of the future. That means that the ending of Dune 2 is rather tragic, and the tale allows room for a hypothetical third film adaptation of Dune: Messiah.
4. How Dune 2 Set Up Dune 3?
Dune 2’s climax may bring the franchise to a close with Herbert’s first book, but there is still an opportunity for development, with Dune 3 teasers appearing throughout the film.
A third film would adapt Herbert’s second novel, Dune: Messiah, which takes place 12 years later and sees Paul firmly established as the Emperor of the universe. The lure of the “holy war” will be essential in Dune 3.
The battle may not be the center of a third film, but it will offer a reason for members of other Great Houses to plot against him.
Paul’s proposal to marry Irulan is another important component of Dune 3’s tale that fans are already familiar with by the end of Dune 2. She will be Paul’s wife in the threequel, but the relationship is simply a title; Paul still loves Chani and is with her in the book.
Chani’s ending raises issues about how Dune 3 will tell the entire story, as the love triangle between Paul, Chani, and Irulan is an integral part of the puzzle. Villeneuve must illustrate the three people and their complicated relationships to adapt Dune successfully: Messiah.
Another significant piece of Dune 3 setup in Dune 2 comes through the casting of Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides.
Paul’s younger sister plays a significant role in Dune: Messiah, so Villeneuve’s decision to cast a rising star foreshadows what will come. Anya Taylor-Joy will return in Dune 3 to bring Alia to life in a much larger capacity.
Even her presence in a vision of the future where the seas are on Arrakis helps set up how different the world will be in a sequel.
5. About Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two is a 2024 American epic science fiction film directed and co-produced by Denis Villeneuve, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts. The sequel to Dune (2021), it is the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert.
It follows Paul Atreides as he unites with the Fremen people of the desert planet Arrakis to wage war against House Harkonnen. Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem reprise their roles from the first film, with Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Léa Seydoux joining the ensemble cast.
Development began after Legendary Entertainment acquired film and television rights for the Dune franchise in 2016. Villeneuve signed on as director in 2017, intending to make a two-part adaptation of the novel due to its complexity. Production contracts were only secured for the first film before the second film was greenlit by Legendary in October 2021, subject to the success of the first. Principal photography took place in Budapest, Italy, Jordan, and Abu Dhabi between July and December 2022.
Delayed from a November 2023 release date due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, the film premiered at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City on February 6, 2024, and was released in the United States on March. It received critical acclaim and set several box office records, grossing $714 million worldwide, surpassing its predecessor and making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2024 and the highest-grossing film in Villeneuve’s career. A sequel based on Herbert’s 1969 novel Dune Messiah is in development.
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