A third Dune movie is in the works, but if you ask Denis Villeneuve, his take on the sci-fi classic “doesn’t feel like a trilogy.”
Currently, Dune director Denis Villeneuve is working on the third film, which will be based on the second installment in the Messiah series. Although this is the third film, the director does not consider them a trilogy. Villeneuve recently appeared on Vanity Fair’s Little Golden Man podcast and talked about the Dune movie, as well as his plans for the future of the series. “First of all, it’s important for people to understand that for me, this is really a diptych,” Villeneuve said of his two Dune movies.
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“It’s actually two movies that will be based on the first book. The first one has been filmed, the second one has been completed. If I did a third one, which is in the works, it wouldn’t feel like a trilogy. It’s weird to say that, but if I went back there, I would do something that felt different and had its own identity.”
One big thing to consider for Messiah is that the book takes place 12 years after the first novel, and with actors like Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya looking very young in the film, that could pose some problems — though when asked about aging the actors up, Villeneuve said “I know how to do that” without revealing what he meant.
You also shouldn’t expect the director to direct any other movies after Messiah, because he feels ready to move on from those movies. “Look, if Dune: Messiah does happen, then I’ve spent a lot of time on Arrakis and I’d love to do something else. I think making sure there are some seeds in Messiah that if anyone wants to do something else afterward, that would be a good idea because they’re beautiful books. They’re harder to adapt. They get more and more esoteric. It’s a little tricky to adapt, but I’m not closing the door. I wouldn’t do it myself, but I could do it with someone else.”
Considering Dune: Episode II grossed over $700 million this year, another movie might be a safe bet, but in the movie business, anything can go wrong. You won’t be short of live-action Dune content, though, as the prequel series, The Prophecy, is set to hit theaters later this year, with its first trailer released back in May.
