Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Cleopatra’ Being Written by ‘1917’ Writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns

In case you missed it, I debunked the persistent rumor that Denis Villeneuve’s next film would be “Sicario 3.” His reps confirmed it with me earlier in the week.

Now, in a Time Magazine interview, Villeneuve confirms he’s currently working on three projects: “Dune: Messiah,” “Cleopatra” and an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s “Rendezvous With Rama.”

This basically confirms our suspicions that Eric Roth was writing the screenplay for ‘Rama.’ Roth had mentioned how he was writing a script for Villeneuve about “space and time” and “eternity,” which are topics definitely in the ‘Rama’ wheelhouse.

Then you have “Cleopatra,” which Villeneuve says is being written by “1917” scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns. David Scarpa (“Napoleon”) had written the original draft, but it looks as though Wilson-Cairns is now taking a crack at it.

As for “Dune: Messiah,” Villeneuve confirms it’ll be his last ‘Dune’ film, he’s over and done with the franchise after that:

Dune Messiah should be the last Dunemovie for me,” he confirms.) Going beyond that, even if other directors take over, could be IP overkill.

For the time being, “Dune: Part Two” is being released on March 1, and there’s a lot of hype behind this film, which everyone is presuming will be a home run. It’s starting to get screened for critics who have cast and crew interviews. I’m not supposed to see it until the second week of February.