A nagging sensation started to sink in starting at the two-hour mark in Dune, as audiences realized that there was no way director Denis Villeneuve could finish the story with this film alone. Sure enough, just as the credits were about to roll, the movie announced that Paul’s tale would continue in a sequel, the so-called Dune: Part Two, currently in pre-production.
But not even Part Two will conclude Paul Atreides’ journey, from a narrative standpoint; not if the books are anything to go by. Indeed, Dune Messiah, the second novel in Frank Herbert’s series, continues to chronicle an important part of the protagonist’s life, and it seems that Villeneuve wants to follow suit, after he’s done with the sequel.
In a recent article for Vanity Fair, the director explained how the upcoming follow-up will be “more visual and less dialogue-driven,” and then cheekily confirmed he’s going to take a crack at Dune: Part Three a few years down the road.
“And, hopefully, there will be another film after that,” the filmmaker wrote. “Dune Messiah, Herbert’s second novel in this universe, would make total sense as a third movie because it completes Paul Atreides’s arc. I want to make part two as fast as possible, then I will wait a few years—until Timothée Chalamet gets a bit older—to do the final installment.”
At least when Part Two comes out, sometime in 2023, we’ll go in aware that the story definitely won’t end there, mitigating the odd feeling of wanting to know what fate ultimately awaits the characters in Herbert’s immersive sci-fi world.
That’s right, folks, Denis Villeneuve intends to develop an epic trilogy that’ll be worthy of remembrance in the history of cinema. So don’t expect the Dune saga on the big screens to conclude anytime soon.