Last month, I reported that Denis Villeneuve was visibly “irked” by Warner Bros’ plans to make more Dune movies beyond the upcoming “Dune: Messiah.” There are already plans for a ‘Dune 4,’ and Warners will gladly do it with or without Villeneuve’s involvement.
Villeneuve is now confirming that after ‘Messiah’ is completed, he’s done with the Dune-verse. He wants out as the obsession with Arrakis would “become too unhealthy” (via The Wrap).
“Dune: Messiah” will start production in August/September. Looking into the future, Herbert’s series of books does go beyond ‘Messiah,’ but the they are much weirder, even sillier, and might not lend themselves well to big screen adapting. A new filmmaker taking on these stories just sounds like a misbegotten proposition.
Suffice it to say, three Dune movies was more than enough to quench Villeneuve’s appetite. He has bigger fish to fry — “Cleopatra” and “Rendezvous with Rama” have been in development for far too long. There’s also the recently announced “Nuclear War” which Deadline claimed would be Villeneuve’s next film after ‘Messiah.’