The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes brought the entertainment industry to a halt, affecting a number of TV and film projects. Dune: Part Two was delayed since the cast couldn’t do press, and will now be released in March. Director Denis Villeneuve has also expressed interest in a third movie, but how long does he intend to keep the franchsie going? Here’s the latest from the acclaimed filmmaker.
What we know about Dune 2 includes the new cast, and the fact that the stakes are seemingly going to be much higher the second time around. It should be interesting to see how it performs at the box office, and if Warner Bros. is impressed enough to greenlight a film adaptation of the novel Dune Messiah. Villeneuve recently spoke to Time about the sci-fi property, where he explained his plans for the future, offering:
Dune: Messiah should be the last Dune movie for me
Well, that seems pretty cut and dry. While Denis Villeneuve would love to get one more shot at his Dune franchise, he doesn’t want to continue forever and adapt all of the novels. Considering how many hit movies he’s already given us, that makes a ton of sense. He’s probably eager to work on a project set outside of Arrakis.
The Arrival director’s comments make a great deal of sense, and it should be fascinating to see if/how Warner Bros. keeps the sci-fi property going. The cast list for Dune: Part Two is outstanding, which shows how eager actors are to work with Villeneuve. And smart money says that more A-list talent would be down to join Messiah if that movie is greenlit.
The trailer for Dune: Part Two teases an escalation of the conflict that we saw begin in the first movie. The battle for Arrakis and its resources are going to be in full affect, with Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides working with the Fremen and even riding a Sandworm in the process.
For his part, Villeneuve thinks Dune 3 is important in order to tell the true meaning of Paul’s journey. Messiah will seemingly it all come together, as long as the studio decides to move forward with the filmmaker.
Given Denis Villeneuve’s view that the Dune story needs to be told over three blockbusters, it’s almost hard to believe that the 1984 original movie came together at all. That project, as well as Villeneuve’s first movie, are both currently streaming with a Max subscription. And smart money says plenty of moviegoers are going to be re-watching them while not-so-patiently waiting for the sequel to arrive in theaters.
Dune: Part Two will finally hit theaters on March 1st. In the meantime, check the 2024 move release dates to see what other movies you want to check out in theaters.