Denis Villeneuve has managed to kick off the Dune franchise with great pomp, delivering two films that have catapulted the IP into the mainstream. Splitting the first Dune novel by Frank Herbert into two, the director managed to deliver a truly epic visual spectacle, on par with Avatar and Star Wars.
Speaking to Little Golden Men, Denis Villeneuve revealed what he plans to do with the franchise, given that the director is hard at work on the next installment of the IP. Dune Messiah is the second novel, and would probably be making the basis of the third (if not also the fourth) film in the franchise. However, the director seems to be keeping in mind the vast future that the franchise brings with itself.
Denis Villeneuve is planting seeds for installments beyond the one he is working on
The director, speaking with Little Golden Men, talked about how he was looking at the future of the franchise beyond Messiah, and how he was working the seeds of future installments into the threequel itself. He said:
Listen, if Dune: Messiah happens, it will have been many years for me on Arrakis, and I would love to do something else. I think that it would be a good idea for me to make sure that, in Messiah, there are the seeds in the project if someone wants to do something else afterwards, because they are beautiful books. They are more difficult to adapt.
They become more and more esoteric. It’s a bit more tricky to adapt, but I’m not closing the door. I will not do it myself, but it could happen with someone else.
Dune’s world is expansive as it is horrific, inducing a twisted, night Lovecraftian horror in its later installments that deal with the state of humanity, the place the greater good has in the decisions of rulers, and where we stand in the face of uncaring existences that are shaped by prophecies rather than free will.
Denis Villeneuve has hand-delivered the answer to Star Wars to WB
Dune as a franchise has a lot of similarities to Star Wars, which has been a topic of discussion in both fandoms for quite some time. However, Dune getting the epic science fiction treatment from Denis Villeneuve has essentially turned the franchise into the cash cow that can bring down the hegemony that Disney has managed to set (and fumble) with Star Wars.
Star Wars might be returning back to form (or some decisions of the House of Mouse would indicate), but WB has a golden opportunity at hand to dethrone Dinsey from the top spot with Dune, provided they are able to keep their heads in the game and meddle it out of relevance as they did with the DCEU. While the latter is getting a second chance, fins might not be so kind with Frank Herbert‘s magnum opus.
Dune Parts One and Part Two can be streamed on Max
