'Dune: Part Three' on cards? Director Denis Villeneuve teases possibility
What's the story
The eagerly anticipated return of Arrakis in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two has now been postponed to 2024 due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
While disappointment resonates among audiences, there's a glimmer of hope.
Director Villeneuve himself has reportedly dropped hints that he might be considering the possibility of creating a third installment of the popular Dune film franchise.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Villeneuve's original plan for Dune was to create a two-part cinematic epic, faithfully adapting Frank Herbert's eponymous masterpiece.
The success of 2021's Dune paved the way for him to proceed with his vision.
However, the original Dune saga doesn't end at the second installment, as even Herbert continued telling this tale through a series of subsequent novels, later continued by his son Brian Herbert.
Statement
'There are words on paper,' teased Villeneuve
During a recent interview with Empire magazine, Villeneuve expressed his aspirations, saying, "If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream."
The potential Part Three would be based on Dune Messiah—Herbert's direct continuation of the original Dune.
While the fate of the third installment hinges on Part Two's box office outcome, Villeneuve teased it by saying, "There are words on paper."
Storyline
Know more about 'Dune's storyline
Adapted from Herbert's epic 1965 sci-fi novel, Dune (2021), set in a distant future, unfolds the narrative of young Paul Atreides, whose family assumes the stewardship of the planet Arrakis.
While the planet itself is inhospitable, it holds an exclusive source of melange, or "spice," a life-extending drug.
The narrative dives deep into the intricate interplay of politics, ecology, technology, religion, and human emotions.
Speculation
Need for 'Part Three' in 'Dune' franchise
If made, Dune: Part Three based on Dune Messiah—as the most important part of the franchise—would depict the aftermath of Emperor Paul's vision of a "galactic holy war."
In the context of the books, this juncture marks Paul's disillusionment with power.
Avid Dune followers would already know that Dune highlights the profound message that even the most well-intentioned messiahs can cause death and devastation.
About the film
Meanwhile, here's everything about 'Dune: Part Two'
Expectations from the second installment remain high, especially after the first movie won six Academy Awards in 2022.
The film features Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh, among others.
As an adaptation of the second half of Herbert's epic sci-fi novel, Dune: Part Two concludes the story of Paul's rise to become the emperor of the Known Universe.