The third installment in Denis Villeneuve’s epic sci-fi saga is officially full steam ahead as the director confirms work has started on the Dune 3 script.
"It's in the works, yeah. That’s why I'm not staying here very long," said Villeneuve when asked if there is a script for number 3 yet by Variety at the Toronto International Film Festival. This is the biggest update we have had since the movie was officially announced as in development with production company Legendary and Villeneuve earlier this year.
Audiences have been hankering for a third movie since Dune: Part Two was released this year. The sequel smashed box office records, opening at $178 million globally, surpassing Dune: Part One. Earlier in the interview the director touched on the success of the second movie, which seems to be a driving factor to the threequel going forward.
"When I did Part One and when it was released it was the end of the pandemic so I didn't have the chance to be in contact with the audience," said the director. "So when we did the tour for Part Two we felt the joy and the appetite for a second film, that really went straight to my heart to see how much people were waiting for the film and ready to love it."
Not much is known about the third movie as of yet, but we do know that it will be adapted from Frank Herbert's novel titled Dune: Messiah, just as the first two movies were based on Herbert’s Dune book. Dune: Messiah deals with the fallout of Paul Atreides's acts in Part Two. If you would like to know more about what could happen, read our guide on what happens in Dune 3 based on the book, but be warned it may spoil the upcoming movie.
In terms of the cast, we can guess that Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh, and Josh Brolin will return. Although her character is not in the novel, we hope that Rebecca Ferguson will make an appearance as Lady Jessica, and as Anya Taylor-Joy’s character Alia Atreides was teased in part 2, we expect her to return in Dune 3 too.
Dune 3 does not have a release date at this time. For more, check out our list of the best sci-fi movies ever made, or keep up to date with upcoming movies heading your way this year and beyond.
