Dune and Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve has stated that he has no intention of helming any more movies in the franchise after his planned Dune: Messiah adaptation, but that doesn't mean Warner Bros. will stop after three!
According to scooper Daniel Richtman, the studio is planning to move forward with at least one more Dune movie, and they might be looking at Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Godzilla) to take the helm.
The scooper believes that there's interest in Edwards - who also has Jurassic World Rebirth coming out later this year - stepping in to direct, but isn't sure if he's actually in talks.
The first two movies were big successes, but a fourth chapter would still be somewhat surprising given the direction Frank Herbert's saga goes in after the second book. Villeneuve has shown little interest in adapting the later novels, Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune, as he feels the story starts to become too "esoteric."
We have heard that the filmmaker "was rather irked by these potential plans to expand the franchise, with or without him."
In a recent interview, Villeneuve said he did originally plan to direct another project before Messiah, but the love from “cinephiles around the world” convinced him to return sooner: “I felt an appetite and desire to see more and a responsibility to finish that story.”
Production is expected to commence this June.
How would you feel about the Dune franchise continuing after Messiah, potentially with Edwards at the helm? Let us know in the comments section down below, and check out an impressive fan-made poster for Messiah from diamonddead-Art.
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.