It seemed, that the idea that a third film, “Dune: Messiah” could be a good idea, “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve said, casually, in the press tour for “Dune” this fall. But now that “Dune” had an excellent box-office-topping weekend and Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. quickly greenlit “Dune: Part Two” in its wake, coming October 20, 2023, the filmmaker seems to be revealing his true intentions and plan all along saying he’s “always envisioned three movies.” Perhaps the goalposts have shifted now that Villeneuve is feeling a bit more confident, his sequel now in place.
In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly this week, Villeneuve revealed the full scope of his idea. “I always envisioned three movies,” the filmmaker said. “It’s not that I want to do a franchise, but this is ‘Dune,’ and ‘Dune’ is a huge story. In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies. That would be the dream. To follow Paul Atreides and his full arc would be nice.”
READ MORE: ‘Dune’: Denis Villeneuve Talks Dreams, Sequels & How ‘Star Wars’ Left Him [Interview]
“At least” three movies? Fans who loved ‘Part One’ will be drooling at the idea of Villeneuve staying in that world for a trilogy at least, but one wonders if the filmmaker, who has eclectic taste, would want to stay in that universe for what would likely amount to almost a decade of time.
“Dune” gets stranger with each book, however, Villeneuve has already said ‘Part Two’ would have more action in an interview with Fandango recently. “I laid the base, the basics of the world – it’s done now. I don’t have to explain most of the world,” he explained. “So now I can just have fun with cinema. [laughs] That’s what I will say, is that I think if ever such a thing happens as a ‘Part 2,’ it’s going to be a cinematic party. I mean, it’s not the right word. I apologize. I will say it is going to be a cinematic blast for me. I think that I could create something much more built into cinematic action and less talking.”
As for how strange “Dune” gets?
“Herbert wrote six books, and the more he was writing, the more it was getting psychedelic,” Villeneuve told EW. “So I don’t know how some of them could be adapted. One thing at a time. If I ever have the chance to do ‘Dune: Part Two’ and ‘Dune Messiah,’ I’m blessed.”
Well, clearly that’s happening. Finally, remember when Jason Momoa said he would love to see Villeneuve’s four-hour cut of “Dune.” In an interview with NME the director laughed and said, sorry that’s not actually a thing. “I love Jason but such a thing doesn’t exist!” he laughed. “The Director’s Cut is what people are watching in theatres right now. There will be no other cut. Yes, I could have made a much longer, more contemplative movie, but that was not the plan.”
Dare to dream about ‘Messiah’ and more, in the meantime, we’ll just have to be content with “Dune: Part Two” hitting theaters Oct. 20, 2023.
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