Dune Director Talks Chances Of A Third Movie

Dune Part Two has already surpassed its predecessor at the global box office with half a billion and it’s still going. The critical reviews aren’t hurting it either and we could have the first Best Picture nomination shoo-in.

Director Denis Villeneuve filmed both of the films back-to-back as they told the first story of the rise of Paul Atreides, but as Dune fans know, the story goes on and gets complicated, to say the least. In the sequel, Paul (Timothee Chalomet) has visions of millions of deaths, which is told in Dune Messiah.

Talking to Empire, Villeneuve wants to keep going on this journey and tell this story. However, he wants to do it right or not at all, but that also means he wants to leave Arrakis for a while.

“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,” he said. “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….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. Otherwise, I don’t do it.”

Villeneuve has four projects currently in development, which include his Cleopatra epic, and one of these–a mysterious secret project that has not been announced–“needs to see the light of day quite quickly,” he said.

A 2003 television mini-series adapted the Children of Dune, which focused on Paul’s twins and combined the stories of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.