Denis Villeneuve hasn’t even shot “Dune Messiah” yet, but Warner Bros and Legendary are already planning ahead in milking this franchise to death.
There’s no question that a ‘Dune 4’ is probably in the works, but who will be directing it is still up in the air. It will certainly not be Denis Villeneuve who has already stated that he’s done with the franchise after “Dune: Messiah.”
Scooper Daniel Richtman is now reporting that Gareth Edwards has been approached by Warner Bros to helm ‘Dune 4,’ but as with all such rumors, it’s very hard to confirm its veracity. Regardless, it’s food for thought as we await an official announcement, probably sometime next year.
Quite honestly, Edwards wouldn’t be a bad fit, his sci-fi filmmaking background could blend very well with the Dune-verse. His next film, “Jurassic World Rebirth,” will be released this summer, and as far as we know, he doesn’t have any other project lined up.
Edwards’ breakout indie, “Monsters,” proved his worth and his studio debut, “Godzilla”, was well met by critics and audiences. He also directed what’s so far been the best Disney Star Wars movie, 2015’s “Rogue One,” and 2023’s sleeper sci-fi hit, “The Creator.”
Villeneuve has made it clear that Frank Herbert’s books dip in quality after ‘Messiah.’ Frankly, it’s a wise decision on his part to steer away, and its still a major question mark whether Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya would want to make a fourth film without him. Then again, a big fat paycheck might change their minds.
Herbert’s series does go beyond ‘Messiah,’ but the books are much weirder, sillier, and might not lend themselves as well to big screen adapting. There’s “Children Of Dune” and “God Emperor Of Dune,” with the former most likely being referred to as ‘Dune 4.’
With all that said, it’s still too early to really know what the game plan is as far as ‘Dune’ movies go beyond ‘Messiah,’ but Warner Bros ending it all with ‘Messiah’ is very unlikely. We live in the franchise era and Warners milking ‘Dune’ for all its worth is no doubt on the horizon.