Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has made no secret of the fact he's keen to adapt Dune: Messiah, creating a trilogy of Dune movies which fully do author Frank Herbert's ambitious sci-fi tale justice on screen.
While the first movie suffered at the box office because it was released in theatres and on streaming at the same time, Warner Bros. is clearly confident in the sci-fi franchise's longevity, explaining why we're getting both this March's sequel and Max's Dune: Sisterhood spin-off series.
Talking to Total Film (via SFFGazette.com), Villeneuve explained that while Dune and Dune: Part Two form a "complete" story, the latter's "heartbreaking" conclusion will set the stage for another movie to conclude the trilogy.
"All of the elements are there," he tells the site. "But I think the movie adaptation is more tragic than the book. The way that Part Two ends...it would create a total balance and equilibrium to finish Paul’s storyline in what we could say in Part Three."
While a third instalment is bound to hinge on the success of the second, it sounds like the filmmaker won't have any trouble tempting back his A-List cast.
"Denis is an artist, and doesn't like to share things until he's got it figured out," Zendaya says. "So whenever he's ready, we’re all keenly ready to hear what his vision is."
Timothée Chalamet adds, "The idea excites me very much. If the time and opportunity comes to complete the story with Messiah, I think we're all super-enthusiastic about that."
Warner Bros. pushed Dune: Part Two to this year in an effort to avoid the sequel falling victim to last year's SAG-AFTRA strike (which would have stopped the cast from being able to promote the movie). There's a lot of hype for the follow-up, anyway, and all signs point to it being a box office hit.
The saga continues in award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two, the next chapter of Frank Herbert's celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast.
"Dune: Part Two: will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family," reads the synopsis. "Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee."
New and returning stars include Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Léa Seydoux, with Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem.
Dune: Part Two will be released exclusively in theaters on March 1.