Dune's Denis Villeneuve Reveals Potential Timeline for Third Movie

Fans are on the cusp of seeing Dune: Part Two, the second half of Denis Villeneuve's epic film adaptation of Frank Herbert's beloved sci-fi novel, Dune. However, Villeneuve doesn't want to stop there. The director has been clear about wanting to turn Dune into a trilogy, using Dune Messiah, Herbert's first Dune sequel, as the basis for a third Dune movie. But how long would that take? Dune: Part Two went into production almost immediately after the first Dune movie's success became apparent. However, Villeneuve may take some takeaway from Arrakis to make a different movie before capping his Dune saga. During the Dune: Part Two press junket, ComicBook.com asked Villeneuve about the timeline for his third Dune movie, which is still only hypothetical until the studio gives the go-ahead to start development.

"The longest thing and the most delicate moment; as Frank Herbert said at the beginning of Dune. beginnings are very delicate times. It's like screenwriting. Dune Messiah – which, Dune 3, the title would be Dune Messiah – we'll see the day when the screenplay will be ready and I want to make sure that there will be no compromise. It has to be tremendous. All is there to make the fantastic film, and I don't want to mess it up."

Will there be a Dune 3?

Villeneuve has been talking about making Dune into a trilogy since he started working on his adaptation. He's already begun working on a screenplay adapting Dune Messiah alongside some others and has said that Dune's "meaning" will 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.