Director Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune is nearing completion, with the second half of the classic sci-fi novel hitting theaters this November. Dune: part two will continue Paul Atreides’ journey of discovery on Arrakis, exploring his relationship with Chani and the Fremen as he seeks vengeance against his family’s enemies.
But where does Dune go from there? After all, Frank Herbert has published six Dune novels (other authors, including son Brian Herbert, have released more than a dozen prequel and sequel books), and Villeneuve’s two-part novel will only cover the first of those books. How many Dune movies can moviegoers expect?
Villeneuve appears to be taking the franchise movie by movie, predicting he’ll eventually make three Dune movies, an adaptation of the original 1965 novel and Herbert’s 1969 sequel, Dune Messiah.
“What I envision [is] the editing of two books, Dune And Dune Messiahsaid Villeneuve at a press conference in 2021, as reported by Nerdist. “We decided to split the first novel into two, so now we’re down to three movies. Those movies are very long to make. For my mental health, I decided to just dream about three movies.
Dune Messiah would be a much more manageable adjustment for Villeneuve and crew. The original Dune novel spans over 700 pages while Messiah clocks in at a much meager 350 (based on the currently available paperback editions of those books).
Whether the movie franchise will continue beyond three movies and two books is still up in the air (and until Dune’s continued box office performance). Warner Bros. distributes the Dune movies – Legendary Pictures produces them – and the media conglomerate seems intent on making the most of its intellectual properties. That’s clear in Warner Bros.’ plans to bring Dune to television as well, even though those plans have stalled.
Dune: part two premieres in theaters (not HBO Max) on November 3.