Dune Director Addresses Complicated Messiah Time Jump and Why Series Isn't a Trilogy

Denis Villeneuve teases his approach to the potential new film.

By Jenna Anderson

Dune: Part Two was undeniably one of this year's biggest movies, helping realize Frank Herbert's novel onscreen in some beautiful and unexpected ways. A number of plot details from the film, particularly the brief flash-forward to Alia Atredies (Anya Taylor-Joy) years into the future, have laid the groundwork for the franchise to expand even further. While a hypothetical third film in the franchise, titled Dune: Messiah, has not been officially greenlit or dated by Warner Bros. Pictures, franchise director Denis Villeneuve has expressed his plans to adapt the new story. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Villeneuve confirmed that he doesn't see the potential trio of films as a true trilogy, especially considering how different Messiah is from the events of the first book.

"First, It's important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych," Villeneuve revealed. "It was really a pair of movies that will be the adaptation of the first book. That's done and that's finished. If I do a third one, which is in the writing process, it's not like a trilogy. It's strange to say that, but if I go back there, it's to do something that feels different and has its own identity."

When asked specifically about Messiah's 12-year time jump, Villeneuve confirmed that he has a plan in place to account for aging up his ensemble cast, remarking, "That's my problem. I know how to do that."

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Will There Be a Dune 3?

Following the release of this year's Dune: Part Two, fans have been curious to see if and how the franchise will continue on the big screen. Villeneuve has teased that a script for Messiah exists, and that he is focusing on telling the best possible distillation of the source material. Fans have speculated that Dune: Messiah will be released on December 18, 2026, which is currently held by Warner Bros. for an unknown movie's release date.

"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 shared in an interview earlier this year. "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."

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