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Dune Director Says He Wants to Adapt Dune Messiah as Third Film


Recently, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced that they are moving forward with a sequel to Dune. The follow-up is expected to cover the second half of the novel. But as it turns out, we might see the franchise expand beyond the two films.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Dune director Denis Villeneuve shared that they are planning to make at least three films, with the adaptation of Dune Messiah being the third film as it would complete the story of Paul Atreides. "I always envisioned three movies," he said. "It's not that I want to do a franchise, but this is Dune, and Dune is a huge story. In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies. That would be the dream. To follow Paul Atreides and his full arc would be nice."

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He added, "Herbert wrote six books, and the more he was writing, the more it was getting psychedelic. So I don't know how some of them could be adapted. One thing at a time. If I ever have the chance to do Dune: Part Two and Dune Messiah, I'm blessed."

When news came that the sequel has been given a formal green light, fans were excited about the news as the first film ended in a cliffhanger and teased a much bigger story that is about to come in the sequel. So far, Dune is doing well at the box office and received positive responses from the audience and critics. There's no doubt that there is a demand for more Dune films.

As of now, a third film hasn't been given a formal green light since they are waiting for the responses on the second film which is set to be released in two years. Given that they have Dune Messiah in mind as the third film, the filmmakers might already be doing early planning and fingers crossed that they'll be able to do the Dune trilogy that they want.

Also Read: Dune: Stephen King Shares His Thoughts on Denis Villeneuve's Sci-Fi Epic

Dune is now showing in theaters and on HBO Max.

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