Denis Villeneuve‘s adaptation of Dune has been more successful than many who have loved the Frank Herbert novel for decades could have dreamed. Dune: Part 1 was nominated for a bunch of Oscars and won a couple, and Part 2 seems to be on a similar trajectory, and also far outgrossed the first installment.
Villeneuve has promised that he will return to the world of Dune one more time to adapt Herbert’s sequel, Dune: Messiah, but we don’t know exactly when that movie might be coming. In a recent interview with Deadline to discuss Part 2, Villeneuve was hesitant to say too much about the upcoming third installment.
“I cannot comment on the next movie because when movies are in the process of being written, they are very fragile. But let’s say that it is absolutely deeply inspired by the book, Dune Messiah. I think there is the potential for a very strong movie there, and I absolutely believe in it,” he said.
The Herbert novels continue to get weirder as they go, quite famously, and Messiah is no exception. The novel is set several years after the events of Dune and follows Paul Atreides after he has already conquered much of the universe with the help of the Fremen army he assembles at the end of Dune.
The time gap gives Villeneuve and the film’s stars an excuse not to rush into production on another installment. Until the movie is actually in production, though, fans will have to be content with the cliffhanger at the end of Dune: Part 2, which promised a bigger war to come.
