Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Discusses His Plans for the Potential Third Film

As Dune is being showered with numerous awards and nominations this season leading up to the Academy Awards at the end of the month, director Denis Villeneuve is now working hard for the second film which is set to begin production later this year and we've also been hearing casting news for the past few days. As we are anticipating the second installment, Villeneuve already has his eyes for the potential third film.

In a piece that he wrote for Vanity Fair, Villeneuve shared his plans for the potential third film in which he said that he is still planning to adapt Dune Messiah, the second novel in the series although it might take a few years before he'll start working on it because of his ambitious idea.

"And, hopefully, there will be another film after that. Dune Messiah, Herbert’s second novel in this universe, would make total sense as a third movie because it completes Paul Atreides’s arc," Villeneuve said. "I want to make part two as fast as possible, then I will wait a few years—until Timothée Chalamet gets a bit older—to do the final installment."

In case you're not familiar with the story of Dune Messiah, it is set 12 years after the events of the first novel where Paul Atreides is ruling as the Emperor and is now, as the title suggested, seen as a messiah to millions of people in the universe. Without spoiling what happened, things will not necessarily go well for Paul and Chani.

It makes sense that Villeneuve wants to do Dune Messiah a few years after they finished the second film since they will be able to tell the story more faithfully as it would mean that the actors have already aged. Also, the director might be busy doing other projects so he might want to take a time off from focusing on the Dune franchise.

For some, it could be unfortunate to hear that we might have to wait for a few more years after the second film before they start working on Dune Messiah and the momentum might lose because of the long waiting time. However, given what we've seen in the first film, the wait might be worth it and it's going to be a fulfilling story. But for now, we can anticipate the second film first and see what they have in store for Paul Atreides' next chapter.

Also Read: Elvis Star Austin Butler In Talks to Play Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 20, 2023.