Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has revealed plans to continue telling the story of Dune after his long-awaited sequel finally hits cinemas.
The Frank Herbert sci-fi novel was first adapted for the big screen by David Lynch in 1984, with Villeneuve putting his own spin on the story more recently.
He made the decision to split the epic book into two parts, with the first instalment hitting cinemas in 2021, after being delayed a year due to the Covid pandemic.
While Dune: Part Two is ready to go, its release date has also been pushed back due to the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
And even though fans are still waiting for the Dune follow-up, Villeneuve has teased that a third film could be on the horizon.
“If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream,” he recently told Empire magazine, revealing his third film would be based on the book Dune Messiah.
Explaining what would be in store in a third movie, Villeneuve continued: “Dune Messiah was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero, which is not what he wanted to do. My adaptation is closer to his idea that it’s actually a warning.”
“I will say, there are words on paper,” he cryptically added.
However, he made clear that he wouldn’t want to venture further than that, as Villeneuve claimed the books become “esoteric” beyond that point.
We have to say, we’re intrigued, both by how Denis Villeneuve would keep the story of Dune going, and by exactly who or what will lead to this third film’s release being delayed when it finally comes…
Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya will both return for Dune: Part Two, with Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken joining the cast of the sequel.
Dune: Part Two is currently slated to hit cinemas in March 2024, having originally been scheduled for a November 2023 release.
Watch the trailer below: