Denis Villeneuve Reveals He Hopes To Make 'Dune' Into A Trilogy: 'That Would Be The Dream'

Famed director Denis Villeneuve has disclosed his hopes about making a third "Dune" installment. The filmmaker recently discussed bringing author Frank Herbert's idea of Paul Atreides's story to life. "Dune 2" follows Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet) as he brings down the evil Harkonnens.

The upcoming sequel has new cast members, including Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken. Unfortunately, the "Dune 2" premiere was pushed from November 3 to March 15, 2024. It was postponed because of the ongoing WGA and SAF-AFTRA strikes. 

Keep on reading to learn more.

During a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Denis Villeneuve opened up about his Dune trilogy. The filmmaker shared that he has a dream to continue exploring the fictional world with a third film adaptation of the book by Frank Herbert.

He said, "If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream. Dune Messiah was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero, which is not what [Herbert] wanted to do. My adaptation [of Dune] is closer to his idea that it's actually a warning."

Villeneuve explained to his interviewer that he'd stop after the third 'Dune' film because the "books become more … esoteric." The filmmaker also hinted that his dream to make a third installment is more than just an idea. He added, "There are words on paper."

Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two" follows the hero, Paul Atreides (played by Timothee Chalamet) as he works to destroy the evil Harkonnens. The second installment has returning cast members, including Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgard, Josh Brolin, and Dave Bautista.

Villeneuve introduces new characters in the second film, including Feud Rautha (played by Austin Butler). The director has described this character as an "Olympic sword master crossed with a psychotic serial killer." There is also Princess Irulan (played by Florence Pugh) and the Emperor (played by Christopher Walken).

Villeneuve revealed the "Dune: Part Two" trailer at the CinemaCon earlier this year and said his team worked to make the movie unique. He stated, "Part One is more of a contemplative movie. Part Two is an action-packed, epic war movie. It is much more dense."

Villeneuve said they made the movie special by adding a "new location" and building "new sets." He also explained that they filmed the sequel in 100% IMAX, unlike the first film, which only had 40% filmed in IMAX.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the second installment of "Dune" was scheduled to premiere on November 3 this year but has now been postponed. The film will now be released in cinemas on March 15, 2024. The delay is because of the ongoing actor and screenwriters guild strikes, which would affect promotion.

"Dune: Part Two" isn't the only major Legendary and Warner Bros film affected by the strike. The studios have also postponed "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" by a month, to April 12, 2024.

The movie being postponed hasn't been received well by fans, who've been anticipating Chalamet's return as Atreides for over two years. Thankfully, Warner Bros has kept several of its December film releases on their current release timeline. This includes "Wonka," "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," and "The Color Purple."

Villeneuve's first installment in the "Dune" series premiered in 2021 and was a huge success. The film grossed over $400 million at the worldwide box office, which was impressive considering the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the film industry.

The film's performance was also affected by its simultaneous release on HBO Max. However, there's hope the second film will do much better, which is why it's been postponed so the strikes don't affect its box office performance.

"Dune" was nominated for three categories at the 79th Golden Globe Awards and won for Best Original Score. Reviews of the film praised Chalamet's performance, with The Telegraph saying the actor was "ideally cast." Another review from The Independent praised Villeneuve, saying, "'Dune' is the sandworm exploding out from the darkness below. It is a film of such literal and emotional largeness that it overwhelms the senses."