Denis Villeneuve, an acclaimed filmmaker known for the sci-fi movies like Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and last year’s Dune, is currently focused on developing a second part of the planned two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel. Herbert’s Dune was adapted several times since it was first published in 1965.
The first movie adaptation was David Lynch’s Dune, released in 1984, but that movie was a box-office bomb and it received negative reviews from the critics. The second adaptation was John Harrison’s 2000 miniseries. But, the most known adaptation is definitely the one made by Denis Villeneuve. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune was released last October as the first of the planned two-part adaptation. Although the movie was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBOMax streaming service, which reduced its chances of becoming a box-office success, it still managed to gross $400 million (against the production budget of $165 million), and the sequel was officially greenlit by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures shortly after the movie’s premiere in theaters.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced that the sequel will be released on October 20, 2023. Most of the cast is expected to return, and Villeneuve revealed recently that the production will start soon. Now, Villeneuve provided another update, revealing that the script is finished, and he also teased that we can expect more IMAX shots in the sequel.
“The first one, it was more to make sure that we will land in the world and that the movie will be accepted. Now it’s to make sure that we can close that first book, so it’s like there are some premises that are in the first movie that I need to ignore. So yeah, I think I would say there’s more pressure with the second one in some ways […] The screenplay is finished mostly, but it’s always a work in progress. It’ll be a work in progress until the final cut, but I will say it’s solidified. I have a script in my hands. We are in prep right now.” — Denis Villeneuve for Collider
“Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, 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, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.” — Dune, official synopsis
Co-written and directed by Villeneuve, Dune received 10 nominations for the Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem, Dune is now streaming on HBOMax. Dune: Part Two is set to be released on October 20, 2023.
