Denis Villeneuve Confirmed To Direct 'Dune'

In December, word emerged that Denis Villeneuve was in early talks to direct “Dune,” and perhaps you were worried that something was going to gum up the works and prevent the filmmaker from tackling his dream sci-fi project. Well, you can put those fears to rest.

Brain Herbert, the son of the late author Frank Herbert, has revealed on Twitter that Villeneuve is officially signed up to helm “Dune.” Intriguingly, Herbert describes it as a “Dune series film project” which seems to suggest there will be more than one installment, which in this world of franchises, and the sprawling nature of the source material, seems to make sense. But we’ll have to wait to find out more, and see what Villeneuve’s involvement will be beyond the first film.

Presuming this is Villeneuve’s next effort, it looks like he’ll be serving up a trilogy of sci-fi films which also includes “Arrival” and the forthcoming “Blade Runner 2049,” which is just fine by us. There’s still lots of questions to be answered — who is writing the script? who will play Paul Atreides? can Sting and Patrick Stewart still be in it? — but we can’t wait to find out what’s coming in Villeneuve’s “Dune.” [The Verge]