It seems Warner Bros. Discovery wants to stay in the Denis Villeneuve business as they've secured the director's talents for an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen‘s nonfiction book Nuclear War: A Scenario.
Within that report from Deadline comes official confirmation that Dune: Messiah is in development and that WB Discovery wants Villeneuve to complete his Dune trilogy before tackling Nuclear War.
In Dune: Messiah, the Fremen jihad has led a holy battle throughout the galaxy that has claimed billions of lives, with Paul Atreides now ruling as Emperor. The Bene Gesserit, the Spacing Guild, and the Tleilaxu, three Great Houses, plot to overthrow Paul out of fear of his clairvoyant abilities.
Simultaneously, Paul, makes use of his abilities to navigate an ever-more hazardous future in order to preserve both his own and his empire's futures.
While we await official box office numbers for this weekend to arrive later today, it should be noted that Dune: Part Two sat at $626M globally, as of the previous weekend and is, to date, currently the highest-grossing film of 2024.
Box office analysts now expect the film to eclipse the $700M global mark before finishing its run in theaters.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Dune: Part Two's break-even target for box office revenue was $500M.
Villeneuve has coyly stated in the past that he won't make a third film if it doesn't surpass the second but given the film's box office performance and hype, a third film always seemed inevitable.
Dune: Part Two features an exceptional cast with Timothée Chalamet starring as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, and Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.
Also appearing in supporting roles are Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat, Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring, Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam and Javier Bardem as Stilgar.
Dune: Part Two was released on March 01, 2024. The film was originally set for release on November 3, 2023, but was pushed back due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Hollywood strike.
Dune: Part Two Official Synopsis
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.
Denis Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Herbert’s novel.