Although Dune: Part Two didn't reach $1 billion at the global box office as some had predicted (always a long shot in the current climate), it did pass $700 million worldwide, meaning a third film based on Frank Herbert's second novel, Dune: Messiah, always seemed likely.
Part Three still hasn't been officially greenllt by the studio, but director Denis Villeneuve has now shared a very positive update on Warner Bros.' plans for the final chapter.
While speaking to Variety at TIFF, the filmmaker confirmed that the script for Dune: Part Three is officially "in the works."
This is obviously a strong indication that Villeneuve intends to return to complete the trilogy, but he hasn't always sounded too certain about it.
“If we go back, it needs to be real, it needs to be relevant," the filmmaker told Empire in a recent interview. "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 made some changes to Zendaya's character, Chani, which will likely have at least some impact on how Part Three plays out.
In the book, Chani falls in love with Paul Atreides and remains staunchly loyal to him along with Stilgar and the rest of the Fremen. However, in the movie, when "Muad'Dib" decides to embrace his destiny as Mahdi and lead his people into battle against the Harkonnens, Chani recognizes the dangers of blindly following a religious leader and putting all faith in a "prophecy" Paul has previously dismissed as nothing more than Bene Gesserit propaganda.
The final straw for Chani comes when Paul proclaims himself Emperor and offers his hand in marriage to the former ruler's daughter, Princess Irulan. Chani walks away from her lover as the rest of the Fremen begin a holy war in his name by attacking the envoys of the universe’s great houses, and the movie ends with her setting a thumper and calling a worm with a defiant look on her face.
Dune: Part Two is now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray.
"Those hoping for blockbuster escapism might find themselves shook by this faithful, at times borderline depressing adaptation," we said in our review. "But Dune Part Two is Sci-fi spectacle at its finest and most audacious, as Villeneuve builds-upon and possibly surpasses (opinions will vary) his previous film with aplomb."
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.