While Dune: part two has yet to begin production, screenwriter Jon Spaihts believes a third film is entirely possible.
Based on Frank Herbert’s acclaimed 1965 novel, Dunes takes place in the distant future and follows the Atreides family accepting the management of the dangerous desert planet Arrakis (also called Dune), which contains the most precious substance in the universe known as “spice”. While director Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 and upcoming 2023 adaptations cover the first book, Herbert has written two more sequels that focus on the lives of the characters we meet in the first. Dunes novel.
Spaihts, who is known for his work on the first strange doctor film and Passengersco-authored Dunes with director Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Speaking now with The Playlist, Spaihts was asked if the door would be open for a potential third movie. “Yes. Frank Herbert wrote six novels, I believe, with a seventh partially completed at his death which was completed [posthumously] by his son,” Spaihts said.
“‘Dune Messiah’ is the next book, and it’s one of three books along with ‘Dune’, ‘Dune Messiah’ and ‘Children of Dune’, which covers the lives of the characters we meet in the first novel. Thereafter, there’s a giant leap in time and the series gets weirder and more epic as it goes on,” Spaihts continued. “But ‘Dune Messiah’ picks up years after ‘Dune’ ended, and yes, Denis also talked seriously about making that movie, as the conclusion to the trilogy.” Spaihts would go on to explain the complexities of the latest Dunes novels, and how they explore the mixture of religions and politics to a greater extent than the first Dunes the novel does.
While it seems that Villeneuve would no longer lead Dunes adaptations following a third movie – as it completes the arcs of many of the original characters and seeing how the filmmaker is also set on adapting Appointment with Rama – a Dunes spin-off series from the Bene Gesserit-focused prequel titled Dune: Brotherhood is in early development, so fans shouldn’t rule anything out just yet. Villeneuve and Spaihts will serve as executive producers for the series.
But until then, the focus is now on Dune: part two, as the highly anticipated epic is well into pre-production and has already made big casting announcements as Florence Pugh and Austin Butler fill the roles of Princess Irulan Corrino, the eldest daughter of Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, and the ruthless Harkonnen Feyd-Rautha, respectively. While a Second part was actually never confirmed by Warner Bros., the sequel was officially greenlit a week later. Dunesit’s released in theaters last October. Dunes would go on to become a critical and box office hit (especially during a pandemic era), grossing over $400 million worldwide and also earning 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
Dune: part two is set to hit theaters on October 20, 2023.
Source: The Reading List
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