Last year Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two was released to wide and massive acclaim as it completed the story of Frank Herbert’s Dune, the first book in his epic sci-fi saga. Villeneuve has made his plans to adapt Dune: Messiah known in order to close out the story of Paul Atreides, but he was going to take a break from the Dune universe to focus on another project first. It looks, however, Villeneuve has changed his mind.
Speaking at the Saturn Awards with Collider this past weekend, Villeneuve revealed that in the time after Dune: Part Two‘s release he has found “an appetite and desire” to dive right back into the franchise after its success at the box office and with audiences.
Dune: Part Two saw Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides in hiding after the death of his father and most of his family’s once great House decimated by their rivals, House Harkonnen. As Paul and his mother took refuge with the Fremen and learnt their ways he embraced his role as the Lisan al Gaib, a powerful religious figure the Fremen were manipulated into revering, and took his revenge on the Harkonnens and the Emperor. It ended with Paul beginning the very Holy War he tried to avoid as his lover Chani seemingly abandoned him after using her people.
Villeneuve confirmed Dune: Messiah will pick up where Part Two left off before following the novel’s 12-year time skip into Paul’s reign as Emperor and how his war has changed him and the galaxy.
“Chani’s heart is broken, and it’s the beginning of the Holy War and that’s where we left, so in a way, I’d say it’s quite similar. I was expecting to do something else before, but frankly, that’s the inspiration that came to my mind as I took a break this summer and was going back and finishing the story,” Villeneuve said. “I was really moved by the way Part Two was received by cinephiles around the world. And I felt an appetite and a desire to see more and a responsibility to finish that story.”
We are still likely far away from the release of Dune: Messiah as Villeneuve is currently completing the script, but Dune fans will be happy to know it will hit the big screen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, audiences can get their fill of Dune in the HBO prequel series Dune: Prophecy, which Villeneuve is an executive producer and was recently renewed for a second season.
SEE ALSO: Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides gets a 1:3 scale Dune: Part Two collectible statue
What do you think of the news? Are you excited Villeneuve will make Dune: Messiah his next film or would you have wanted to see one of his original ideas brought to life first instead? Let us know on our social channels at @FlickeringMyth…
Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
Featuring in the cast of Dune: Part Two are Timothée Chalamet (Wonka), Zendaya (Euphoria), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Josh Brolin (Milk), Austin Butler (Elvis), Florence Pugh (Black Widow), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), Léa Seydoux (Crimes of the Future), Stellan Skarsgård (Mamma Mia), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), and Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men).
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