Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Teases Third Movie

Even with Dune: Part Two , director Denis Villeneuve is reemphasizing his desire to turn . With Dune: Part Two set to complete Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s original Dune novel, a third Dune movie would adapt Dune Messiah, Herbert’s first Dune sequel novel which many consider an essential epilogue as it completes Paul Atreides’ (Timothée Chalamet) story, ephasizing the tragedy of his arc. Along with the meddling of the Bene Gesserit, that tragedy is one of the things Villeneuve most appreciates about Dune.

“If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream,” Villeneuve tells Empire. “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.” While much depends on Dune: Part Two‘s box office performance, Villeneuve is planning ahead. “I will say, there are words on paper,” he teased.

Villeneuve does then confirm that a Dune Messiah adaptation would be where his involvement in adapting The Dune Chronicles would end, heading off the broader sci-fi weirdness that begins to crop up in later novels. “After that the books become more… esoteric,” Villeneuve says.

What would Dune: Part Three be about?

Dune: Part Three would adapt Dune Messiah, Herbert’s follow-up to Dune, first published in 1969. Given how closely Dune Messiah connects with Dune, it’s impossible to summarize the plot without spoiling events that will occur in Dune: Part Two. Consider this a warning.

Dune Messiah begins 12 years after Dune concludes, with Paul now ruling the galaxy as its new emperor. The book chronicles the mistakes Paul makes that eventually lead to his downfall and exile, underscoring Herbert’s subtext in the original Dune that leaders born of a traditional “Hero’s Journey” are likely ill-suited to rule, a point many readers missed or misunderstood. Paul’s story ends here, with Dune Messiah‘s sequel, Children of Dune, focusing on his remaining family.

Dune: Part Two Cast and Release Date

In Dune: Part Two, according to its synopsis, “Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.”

The Dune: Part Two cast includes returning stars Timothée Chalamet as Duke Paul Atredies, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonen, Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban, Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat. New additions to Dune: Part Two‘s cast include Austin Butler as  Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV, the Padishah Emperor,  Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, and Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli.

Dune: Part Two opens in theaters on March 14, 2024. Dune is streaming now on Max.