When it was first announced that Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 helmer Denis Villeneuve was turning his attention to Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi epic Dune, it was said that the big screen adaptation would span two movies.
However, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced just one release date, and there was no mention of a second film when the official synopsis and cast list was revealed to mark last month’s start of principal photography.
Well, it seems there hasn’t been a change of plan, and the intention remains to split the sprawling tale across two films, as revealed by Legendary CEO Joshua Grode in an interview with THR:
“That’s the plan. There’s a backstory that was hinted at in some of the books [that we expanded]. Also, when you read the book there’s a logical place to stop the movie before the book is over.”
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Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) leads the star-studded cast of the film as Paul Atreides alongside Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Dave Bautista (Avengers: Infinity War), Stellan Skarsgard (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), Charlotte Rampling (Red Sparrow), Zendaya (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Javier Bardem (Loving Pablo), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Stephen Henderson (Fences), and Chang Chen (The Assassin).
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Dune – or rather the first Dune – is set for release on November 20th, 2020.
Originally published April 28, 2019. Updated April 29, 2019.
