Warner Bros./Legendary recently announced that Dune: Part Two is officially in the works (truth be told, it probably has been from the start), giving director Denis Villeneuve the opportunity to finish his adaptation of the first novel in Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi saga.
The sequel is expected to serve as a conclusion to the story Villeneuve began with this first movie, but the filmmaker hopes to be able to helm a third instalment, which would adapt Herbert's follow-up Dune: Messiah.
"I always envisioned three movies," Villeneuve tells EW. "It's not that I want to do a franchise, but this is Dune, and Dune is a huge story. In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies. That would be the dream. To follow Paul Atreides and his full arc would be nice."
Messiah is set 12 years after the events of Dune, and focuses on Paul Muad'Dib's struggle to walk the "Golden Path" that is prophesized to prevent humanity's annihilation while a holy war spreads across the universe in his name. There are another three books, but things get really strange after Messiah (one character evolves into a sandworm/human hybrid), and Villeneuve is fully aware that the later tales may actually be unfilmable.
"Herbert wrote six books, and the more he was writing, the more it was getting psychedelic," he says. "So I don't know how some of them could be adapted. One thing at a time. If I ever have the chance to do Dune: Part Two and Dune Messiah, I'm blessed."
What did you guys make of Dune? Did you watch it in theaters or at home? Drop us a comment down below, and check out our review if you're still on the fence about seeing the movie on the big screen. If you don't mind spoilers, you can also find out how the divisive ending sets up Part Two.