Dune: Part Two's Zendaya Addresses the Possibility of a Third Film

Zendaya is ready to return to Arrakis for a third Dune movie. Dune director Denis Villeneuve has been consistent and clear about his desire to make Dune a trilogy with Dune Messiah, Frank Herbert's sequel to his original sci-fi masterpiece, serving as the third Dune film's basis. To make that work seamless with Dune and Dune: Part Two, Villeneuve would need those film's stars to reprise their roles, including Zendaya as Chani, the Freman who is almost literally the woman of Paul Atreides' (Timothee Chalamet) dreams. Speaking to Fandango, Zendaya says she's game for making a third Dune movie, though for now, she's leaving that to Villeneuve's discretion.

"Would we be down? I mean of course," Zendaya said during an interview alongside the rest of the Dune: Part Two cast, seeming to speak for the group. "Any time Denis calls, it's a yes from me. I'm excited to see what happens. I started Messiah and I was like, 'Woah, I'm only shooting the first movie. Let me just go back to the first one.' It's so much to take in, but there's no better hands with better care and love for it than Denis."

Will there be a Dune 3?

Villeneuve has been vocal about wanting to turn Dune into a trilogy since he started working on his adaptation. He's confirmed that he's begun working on a screenplay adapting Dune Messiah (alongside several other screenplays). He's gone as far as to say Dune's "meaning" would only become apparent in that third movie.

"I'm working on four different screenplays. I know that Dune Messiah will be one of them. I don't know if it will be the next or the second next," Villeneuve told Cine21. "My job was to try to keep the spirit of Frank Herbert alive as much as possible -- the whole meaning of Dune becomes clear with Dune Messiah."

What is Dune Messiah?

Dune Messiah is Frank Herbert's sequel to Dune. Herbert published Dune Messiah in 1969, four years after Dune, though he had begun working on Messiah before completing Dune. Dune Messiah is significantly shorter than the first novel, contributing to its reputation among some fans as an essential epilogue or third act to Dune, completing Paul Atreides's saga and cementing him as a tragic hero.

Villeneuve sees Dune Messiah similarly. In 2023, he told Variety, "Dune Messiah was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero. Which is not what he wanted to do. My adaptation [of Dune] is closer to his idea that it's actually a warning."

Dune: Part Two Cast and Release Date

Continuing the story begun in 2021's Dune, the synopsis for Dune: Part Two says the film "will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path 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 Dune: Part Two from a screen he co-wrote Jon Spaihts, based on Frank Herbert's 1965 Dune novel. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Dave Bautista as Glossu Raban, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Austin Butler as Feyd-Ruatha Harkonnen, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV, and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot.

Dune: Part Two opens in theaters on March 1st. Dune is now playing in select IMAX theaters, with a sneak peek at the sequel.