Denis Villeneuve Says Possible DUNE 3 ‘Will Take a Little Time’
By Movieguide® Contributor
DUNE: PART TWO director and producer Denis Villeneuve wants to continue to raise the bar if he is to make the third installment of the epic sci-fi series.
“For me, [DUNE: PART TWO] is much better than PART ONE,” Villeneuve said. “There’s something more alive in it. There’s a relationship to the characters. I was trying to reach for an intensity and a quality of emotions that I didn’t reach with PART ONE and that I did reach with PART TWO. I’m not saying the film is perfect, but I’m much more happy with PART TWO than I was with PART ONE.”
With the critical and commercial success of DUNE: PART TWO, which has already earned over $220 domestically and over $500 million globally, Villeneuve doesn’t want to lose momentum.
“If we go back, it needs to be real, it needs to be relevant. If ever I do DUNE MESSIAH, [it’s] because it’s going to be better than PART TWO,” he said. “Otherwise, I don’t do it.”
Villeneuve is already in the process of writing the screenplay for the third DUNE, based on Frank Herbert’s “Dune Messiah.”
“The screenplay is almost finished, but it is not finished. It will take a little time,” the director told the South Korean Press.
But he said if he did make the third DUNE movie, it would not be “back-to-back” as the making of the first two movies was.
“I felt that it was a good idea to move forward right after PART ONE. We were already designing, writing, et cetera. But it also meant that for six years I was on Arrakis non-stop, and I think it will be healthy to step back a little bit,” he said.
“I don’t know exactly when I will go back to Arrakis,” Villeneuve said. “I might make a detour before just to go away from the sun. For my mental sanity I might do something in between, but my dream would be to go a last time on this planet that I love.”
Stars Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, who play love interests Chani and Paul Atreides in the movie, said they would be excited to reprise their roles in a third DUNE movie.
“I think there’s no better hands with better care and love for it than [Villeneuve], so I think I’m just excited to see…it’s just like anticipation,” Zendaya said in an interview with Fandango. “You know, whenever he’s ready. I know he’s like a perfectionist in many ways and doesn’t want to share things unless he’s fully ready to do that, so [I’m] respecting that.”
“The idea excites me very much,” Chalamet said. “If the time and opportunity comes to complete the story with MESSIAH, I think we’re all super enthusiastic about that.”
Part of Movieguide®’s review of DUNE: PART TWO reads:
DUNE: PART TWO tells the second half of science fiction writer Frank Herbert’s epic tale of political power, love and desert heroism. After his father was murdered by the evil Baron Harkonnen’s men, Paul and his mother learn the ways of the Fremen the indigenous people on the desert planet of Arrakis. Paul falls in love with a young Fremen women, Chani. Paul helps the Fremen fight for freedom against the Baron. However, he sees a terrible future of a galactic holy war, but can he prevent it while seeking justice for his father?
DUNE: PART TWO is visually stunning. This doesn’t take away from the movie’s epic, dramatic storytelling. In one sense, PART TWO is a love story between Paul and Chani, set against the backdrop of a struggle for freedom. However, DUNE: PART TWO is also a story about good and evil, political power, religion, justice, revenge, and the consequences of wielding power on a worldwide, galactic scale. That said, the movie has some politically correct, direct attacks on religious “fundamentalism” that can be used to attack all religion, but especially Christians and Muslims.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
