With $369M worldwide, Dune: Part Two is looking like the blockbuster hit that Warner Bros. and director Denis Villeneuve hoped it would be. At this rate it should easily surpass the $443M of Dune in 2021, and hopefully clear the path for Villeneuve to direct the third movie, Dune Messiah. However, that has yet to be officially greenlit as far as we know.
Villeneuve is excited to do it, however, and a big part of the reason is a chance to work again with actresses Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor-Joy. The two had small roles in Dune: Part Two, but if Messiah happens you can expect that to change as Pugh’s Princess Irulan and Taylor-Joy’s Alia Atreides are more significant to the story.
Villeneuve told EW…
“I love her,” Villeneuve said of Taylor-Joy. “I would love to make ‘Dune Messiah’ just to work with her and Florence more. Those actresses are so inspiring. They give me chills and the will to do another one.”
“I was deeply happy with the fact that Anya accepted this challenge of playing a ghost and a secret. I cannot believe that we kept the secret that long. It required so much work to keep that secret. Everybody signed with their blood.”
So it sounds like Villeneuve is gung-ho for more Dune. Certainly, fans of the adaptations would agree, and you can count me as one of them. But these were two massive movies, and the director may decide to take a break before coming back to the world of Arrakis. Stay tuned, and enjoy some spice while you wait.
