Dune: Part Two Filming Won't Begin Until Fall 2022 at the Earliest
It didn't take long after Dune: Part One racked in the dough at the box office for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment to confirm that Dune: Part Two was officially on the way. Denis Villeneuve will return to write, direct, and co-produce the adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel, finishing what he started and already putting his eyes on the prize of what could come next in the hit series. When the next installment was confirmed by the studio it came with the reveal of a release date as well, October 20, 2023, bringing into question when filming might start for some fans. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Villeneuve confirmed that it will be at least a year before he's back behind the camera on the set of the second part.
"It's fantastic news, but it's also kind of a burden," the filmmaker said. "The good news is that a lot of the work has been done already regarding design, casting, locations and writing. So we're not starting from scratch. It's not a long period of time, but I will try to face that challenge because it's important for me that the audience sees Part Two as soon as possible. It's not a sequel where it's another episode or another story with the same characters. It actually has direct continuity to the first movie. It's the second part of the big huge movie that I'm trying to do. So the sooner the better.
When asked if they might start shooting in the spring of next year, Villeneuve said no.
"That's too soon," the filmmaker added. "We still have a lot of work to do. It'd probably be more towards fall, and even that would be fast. (Laughs.)"
Villeneuve has already suggested that after Dune: Part Two, which would complete his adaptation of the first novel in the long-running sci-fi series, he would like to make a third feature film for the big screen, potentially adapting book two, Dune Messiah, as a feature film.
"I always envisioned three movies," Villeneuve shared with h Entertainment Weekly. "It's not that I want to do a franchise, but this is Dune, and Dune is a huge story. In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies. That would be the dream. To follow Paul Atreides and his full arc would be nice." He added, "[Frank] Herbert wrote six books, and the more he was writing, the more it was getting psychedelic, so I don't know how some of them could be adapted. One thing at a time. If I ever have the chance to do Dune: Part Two and Dune Messiah, I'm blessed."
Should Villeneuve be able to get that far it would be the first feature film adaptation of one of the other books in the Dune saga, with Dune Messiah and its sequel Children of Dune, having only been adapted for television previously.