Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” isn’t being released until March 2024, but there’s already been so much buzz for this film that it does look as though Warner Bros might have a major winner in their hands.
As for “Dune: Messiah,” the trilogy capper, we have an update on that project, and it seems to be picking up some major steam. At this point, its future making is turning into an inevitability. Here’s Jeff Sneider, via his newsletter:
I’m already hearing rumblings that WB is so bullish on Villeneuve’s vision for Dune that ‘Part Three’ has already been greenlit with a 2027 release date in mind. WB sees Part Two as a home run, and internally, I’m hearing the studio is already projecting an opening north of $100 million. That may be optimistic, but given the trailer above, hardly out of the question.
Last week, Villeneuve confirmed that the ‘Dune: Messiah’ script was “almost finished,” but that he was going to be taking a break after ‘Part Two’ to make another film, before delving back into the world of Arrakis.
if “Dune: Part Two” does well in theaters next year, and the internal numbers seem to be leaning towards that being the case, then it won’t be the end of Paul Atreides’ story. At least, that’s what Warner Bros and Villeneuve are hoping.
If Villeneuve does end up making “Dune Messiah,” it’ll be the first time an adaptation of Herbert’s stories went beyond the first “Dune” novel. ‘Messiah’ is very different, in terms of scope and story, than “Dune” — it’s a much shorter book as well.
Looking into the future, Herbert’s series does go beyond ‘Messiah,’ but I’d be shocked if Villeneuve also decides to adapt the other books, which are much weirder and might not lend themselves as well to big screen adapting.
There’s also a Max series, titled “Dune: Prophecy,” already in the works, dubbed as a prequel series, so “Children Of Dune” or “God Emperor Of Dune” adaptations might not be totally off Warner’s radar, but maybe without Villeneuve’s direction. We’ll see.