Summary
TheDunefranchisemight still be raking in the big bucks with its second installment, but fans of that project and its predecessor have even more cause to rejoice as word finally drops on a third entry in the most prominent science fiction property sinceStar Wars.
Dunehas been a mainstay in the more hardcore science fiction fandom for decades, with the story first told in a 1963 novel being refined and built on over several more books by writer Frank Herbert from that point on until his death in 1986. The books were a massive hit and gave fans of hard science fiction a lot to enjoy. Due to this massive popularity and the abundance of world-building and plot material to pull from, there have beenseveral failed attempts at properly adapting the Dune novelsover the decades. However, this spell of misfortune would be broken by Denis Villeneuve, who would adapt part of the franchise for his 2021Dunefilm. This adaptation broke the mold and became a major success in short order.
While aDune: Part Threeupdate provided by director Denis Villeneuvealready revealed to fans that the project was further along the pipeline to reality than anyone expected at the time, the first major announcement that moviegoers have been waiting for has finally hit the news cycle. As reported byVariety,Dune 3: Messiahis now in active development at Legendary Pictures as part of a wider deal with the franchise’s scribe, director, and producer, Denis Villeneuve. The upcoming film, which is based on the 1969 novelDune Messiahfrom the related works of Herbert, has as of yet released no further details.
Villeneuve,an iconic filmmaker who has continuously inspired others, was confirmed to be developing theDuneprequel alongside news that he would be attached to another upcoming project titledNuclear War: A Scenario,alongside his production partner Tanya Lapointe. There is no word as to what exact role the filmmaker will play in bringing this new project to light, but it has been implied that he could serve as producer, director, or even be in charge of adapting the source material, the book of the same name by celebrated writer Annie Jacobsen. While this project is clearly meaningful, theDunethreequel is easily the bigger story.
The first twoDunefilms already carried the franchise over the $1 billion mark, making it one of the most successful franchises ever and leadingthe firstDunefilm to garner a plethora of Oscar nominations. This went a long way in proving that Villeneuve was indeed the chosen one when it came to adapting a longtime sci-fi staple that had successfully frustrated all prior efforts to launch into the mainstream via a live-action adaptation. With two blockbusters on the books and the star-studded cast likely ready to return for even more projects, the third iteration is sure to be another hit. The plot ofDune Messiahis a major escalation from previous material and will show its protagonists in an even darker light than fans of the first two films might expect. With an even more compelling plot and increased stakes, Dune Messiah is likely the book that most lends itself to theatrical success, which makes the idea of what the upcoming third film could achieve all the more interesting.
All in all, the future looks bright for the science fiction bastion as it makes more strides toward becoming a househ9old name.A third Dune film could potentially beat the trilogy curseand set the stage for even more adaptations in that universe. There is still a mountain of books and other stories to adapt in theDuneuniverse, and if Villeneuve can keep up the level of quality he’s delivered in the first two installments of the franchise so far, there’s no telling how big Dune can get over the next few years.
TheDunefranchise is currently available to stream on Max.
Dune
Dune is a science fiction series written by author Frank Herbet. Set in the far future, it follows the story of character Paul Atreides living in a socially oppressive galactic society. The Atreides family acquires management of the planet Arrakis, which has the melange, a drug that enhances human life. Dune’s full story is told over its many different sequels.
