Denis Villeneuve has spoken before about a potential Dune: Part Three, but the director recently confirmed that he has actually begun writing some of what could be a third movie in the franchise.
What did Denis Villeneuve say about Dune: Part Three?
Speaking to Empire Magazine, Villeneuve said that “there are words on paper” regarding a third entry in the Dune franchise, and also said it “would be the dream” to get to do a third film based on Frank Herbert’s Dune: Messiah.
“If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream,” Villeneuve said. “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 [of Dune] is closer to his idea that it’s actually a warning.”
Should Villeneuve get to make a third film, he went on to say that he thinks that would be the final Dune film he’d make, as he noted Herbert’s books get “more…esoteric” as they continue.
This isn’t the first time that the idea of a Dune: Part Three has come up. Earlier this year, Deadline’s Chief Film Critic Pete Hammond said that a third film was in the works, and Villeneuve himself has spoken about wanting to make a trilogy of films dating back to 2021.
“I always envisioned three movies,” Villeneuve told EW in 2021. “It’s not that I want to do a franchise, but this is Dune, and Dune is a huge story. In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies. That would be the dream. To follow Paul Atreides and his full arc would be nice.”
