Director Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herberts dune is almost complete, with the second half of the classic sci-fi novel hitting theaters this November. Dune: Part Two will continue Paul Atreides’ voyage of discovery on Arrakis, examining his relationship with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge on his family’s enemies.
But where does Dune go from there? After all, Frank Herbert has published six Dune novels (other authors, including son Brian Herbert, have published more than a dozen prequel and sequel books), and Villeneuve’s two-parter will only cover the first of those books. How many Dune movies can moviegoers expect?
Villeneuve appears to be taking the franchise film by film and predicts he will ultimately direct three Dune films, adapting the original 1965 novel and Herbert’s 1969 sequel. Dune Messiah.
“What I imagine [is] the adaptation of two books, dune And Dune Messiah‘ said Villeneuve at a press party in 2021, as reported by nerdist. “We decided to split the first novel into two parts, so we’re down to three films now. It takes a long time to make these films. For my sanity, I’ve decided to only dream of three films.”
Dune Messiah would be a much more manageable adjustment for Villeneuve and his crew. The original dune Roman covers more than 700 pages while Messiah clocks in at a much slimmer 350 (based on currently available paperback editions of these books).
Whether the film franchise will go beyond three movies and two books is yet to be seen (and depends on Dune’s continued box office performance). Warner Bros. is distributing the Dune films — Legendary Pictures is producing them — and the media conglomerate seems eager to make the most of its intellectual property. That shows at Warner Bros.’ plans to bring Dune to TV as well, although those plans have stalled.
Dune: Part Two Premieres in theaters (not HBO Max) on November 3rd.
