Denis Villeneuve Wants To Make A Third ‘Dune’ Film

Denis Villeneuve has revealed that he wants to make a third film in the Dune universe, based around the series second novel, Dune Messiah.

Earlier this month, Denis Villeneuve’s latest film, Dune, hit theaters, and HBO Max. The film has already become one of the biggest success stories of the pandemic. As of this writing, the movie has managed to earn well over $220M worldwide on a $165M budget. In addition, it has already proven to be a success on HBO Max as well, with over 1.9M households streaming the film beating out Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Following the early success of the film, Legendary and Warner Bros. officially put the second film into development for an October 2023 release date. The movie ends roughly halfway through the first book and left many plot points unresolved. As it turns out, however, this isn’t the only Dune film that Denis Villeneuve wants to make.

Even before the film became a success, it was revealed that Warner Bros had big plans for the Dune franchise. Early on it was revealed that an HBO Max prequel show was in development but we’ve had little word on when that show will make a debut. On the theatrical side, director Denis Villeneuve has revealed that he is interested in making a third film in the franchise. Specifically, he wants to adapt the series’ second book Dune Messiah which takes place roughly 12 years after the events of the first:

“If things go well with Part Two, I could foresee the idea of maybe doing a third movie, Dune Messiah. That would make sense to me. After that, I think that I will make some other movies; let’s call them big movies regarding their ambition and scope. And later on, when I’m too tired to do that, I will go back to some smaller projects. But for now, I have the energy to do this.”

Here is the synopsis for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune:

Set in the distant future, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides whose family accepts control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, control of Arrakis is highly contested among the noble families. After Paul and his family are betrayed, the story explores themes of politics, religion, and man’s relationship to nature as Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s control of Arrakis.

Denis Villeneuve directed Dune from a script he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts. The film stars Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, and David Dastmalchian.

Dune is now playing in theaters and on HBO Max. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the series and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.