Any concerns or worries that Denis Villenueve’s Dune wouldn’t be awarded a sequel, many of which came directly from the filmmaker himself, were assuaged just days after the sweeping sci-fi epic hit theaters in October of last year.
After scoring what was Warner Bros.’ biggest opening weekend of the pandemic (a figure that has since been tripled and then some by The Batman), the official announcement of Part Two laid many a mind to rest. The second half of the story comes to theaters in October of next year, and Villenueve can’t wait to get started.
Florence Pugh and Austin Butler are poised to join the rest of the star-studded returning ensemble, with the director already promising a larger and more important role for Zendaya’s Chani, with the actress’ supporters dismayed that her heavy presence in the marketing ended up yielding a paltry seven minutes of screentime.
Speaking to Deadline at the PGA red carpet, Villenueve teased that Dune: Part Two is somehow going to be even more cinematic than its predecessor.
“It’s going to be another beautiful journey in the desert again. It’s the journey where Paul Atreides and his mother, Lady Jessica, make contact with the Fremen culture and meet with the Fremen. It’s Paul’s journey against the enemy. It’s a movie that will be more cinematic.”
Having earned $400 million at the box office, before going on to land ten Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Dune: Part Two will be looking to fare equally as well as the first installment from both a critical and commercial perspective, perhaps even better.
