Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve has already confirmed that he does plan to return to complete his saga with an adaptation of Frank Herbert's second novel, Dune: Messiah, but it sounds like a third film is far from certain.
“I did both movies back-to-back, which makes absolute sense for me,” Villeneuve told Empire while chatting about the possibility of returning to helm Part Three. “I felt that it was a good idea to move forward right after ‘Part One.’ We were already designing, writing, et cetera. But it also meant that for six years I was on Arrakis non-stop, and I think it will be healthy to step back a little bit. First, make sure that we have a strong screenplay. The thing I want to avoid is not having something ready. I never did it, and now I feel it could be dangerous because of the enthusiasm. We need to make sure all the ideas are on paper.”
“If we go back, it needs to be real, it needs to be relevant. If ever I do Dune Messiah, [it’s] because it’s going to be better than Part Two,” he added. “Otherwise, I don’t do it.”
Spoilers follow.
Part Two definitely leaves the door open for a follow-up, with Chani (Zendaya) walking away from Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) after witnessing him accept his "destiny" by becoming the Fremen messiah, or Mahdi. The movie concludes with Paul declaring himself Emperor and commanding his followers to attack the envoys of the great houses who have assembled above Arrakis, setting his "jihad" in motion.
We're sure Villeneuve will ultimately decide to finish his trilogy, but we're probably going to be waiting quite a while to see it.
The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on Dune: Part Two, the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning Dune.
The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (Wonka, Call Me by Your Name), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Malcolm & Marie, Euphoria), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame, Milk), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis, Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood), Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Black Widow, Little Women), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Love and Thunder), Oscar winner Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter,), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), Léa Seydoux (James Bond, Crimes of the Future), with Stellan Skarsgård (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Assassin’s Creed), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Being the Ricardos).
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. 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.