A new script update from Denis Villeneuve confirms the active development ofDune: Part 3. Earlier this year saw the release ofDune: Part Two, the much-anticipated follow-up to the 2021 filmDune. After release delays,Dune: Part Tworeceived glowing reviewsand did well at the global box office.Dune: Part Twofeatured aleading cast including Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Léa Seydoux, and Christopher Walken, most of whom are expected to return.
In an interview withVarietyat the Toronto International Film Festival, Villeneuve comments on the progress ofDune 3.
The director was asked directly whether there was a script forDune 3yet, to whichVilleneuve confirmed that “it’s in the works.“TheDunedirector jokes that working on theDune 3script is why he is not staying at TIFF for very long. In the same interview, Villeneuve responds to the success ofDune: Part Two, and he explains how much more connected he felt withDune: Part Twoaudiences compared toPart One’s pandemic release. Check out the full quote from Villeneuve below:
Villeneuve: I think that [the response to Dune 2] was very moving because when I did the part 1, and when it was released, it was at the end of the pandemic. So I didn’t have the chance to be in contact with the audience. It was like more of a, I felt disconnected with the audience. So when we did the tour for Part Two, and we felt the joy and the appetite for the second film, that really went straight to my heart to see how much people were waiting for the film and ready to love it.
Interviewer: Is there a script for the third one yet?
Villeneuve: It’s in the works, yeah. That’s why I’m not staying here [at TIFF] very long.
Will Dune 3 Be Denis Villeneuve’s Next Movie?
This Script News Heightens The Speculation
Villeneuve’s most recent commentary surroundingDune 3comes after Warner Bros. recently confirmed its release date.Dune: Part 3, which will be an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1969 sequel bookDune: Messiah,now has a release date of August 15, 2025.This is a strategically wise release date, as it putsDune: Part 3releasing right before Christmas and in the height of awards season. At the same time, it would arrive in between release years for installments ofJames Cameron’sAvatarseries, the next of which releases in 2025, so it would not compete with major titles such as that.
With the news of theDune 3release date came the rumor that this return to Arrakis would be Villeneuve’s next movie. If accurate, this would contradict previous reports on Villeneuve’s career plans. In April 2024, it was reported that Villeneuve’s next film afterDune: Part Twowould be a film adaptation of Annie Jacobsen’s novelNuclear War: A Scenario. At the time,there were conflicting reports about whether production on this film would come before or afterDune: Part 3.
The most recent news seems to confirm thatVilleneuve will have to bedevelopingDune: Part 3before approachingNuclear War.If the studio sticks to its release date plan, filming on the movie will have to begin next year. With the first two movies already being positively received, there are high expectations for Villeneuve to live up to for the sequel. As per the most recent report, pre-production development is already going off smoothly onDune: Part 3,making it more likely that the threequel will stay on pace.
Dune: Part Three
Cast
Dune: Part Three continues the epic saga with Paul Atreides as Emperor Muad’Dib facing threats from political adversaries and internal betrayal. Amidst the turmoil, the stability of House Atreides is jeopardized, while Paul grapples with protecting his lover, Chani, and their unborn child from emerging perils.
