by Jonas Reichel on August 28, 2023

Although "Dune 2" has now been officially pushed back to next year due to the strikes, director Denis Villeneuve has expressed his enthusiasm for a third installment.

The initial idea was to adapt the famous novel by Frank Herbert into two films. Thanks to the success and global popularity of "Dune", the director was able to realize his plan: "Dune 2", which Villeneuve describes as an "action-packed and epic war film," is scheduled for release on March 15, 2024.

Part 2 was supposed to be the end of the story, but there is still room for more: Fans of the original know, of course, that the film adaptations are merely adaptations of the first novel. However, the literary work about Arrakis includes several other books that also provide material for potential future film adaptations.

This opinion is likewise shared by Denis Villeneuve, who spoke about a possible third part in an interview with Empire. It is to be based on the second novel "Dune Messiah":

"If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream. Dune Messiah was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero. Which is not what [Herbert] wanted to do. My adaptation [of Dune] is closer to his idea that it's actually a warning."

Villeneuve added that "Dune Messiah" would be the end of his film adaptations:

"After that the books become more... esoteric".

Whether a third movie will actually be made in the end remains to be seen, and is also likely to depend on the success of its predecessor. "Dune" was successful in 2021, but not to the extent that Warner would have liked. However, we can expect that part 2 won't be a flop either - after all, the anticipation for the upcoming film seems way too huge.

So there's a good chance that Villeneuve will be able to realize his visions and present us with an epic conclusion to the story of Arrakis with "Dune 3". There seems to be no lack of ideas and enjoyment of the story material.