Denis Villeneuve Confirms He’s Writing Dune 3, Teases When It’ll Be Set

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Denis Villeneuve's Dune films are arguably some of the best sci-fi movies of all time. And given their wild success, fans have been eager for news about the third installment, Messiah. While it originally seemed like the acclaimed filmmaker would be taking a break from the property, he confirmed he's in the writing process. And he also confirmed when the upcoming blockbuster will be set.

While Villeneuve has been somewhat cryptic about Dune 3, he recently offered a much anticipated peek behind the curtain. While chatting with Deadline about the franchise, he confirmed he was in the "writing zone", and spoke about mirroring the novel Messiah for its film adaptation. In the Arrival filmmaker's words:

Like Herbert did with Dune: Messiah, I think it’ll be a great idea to do something completely different. The story takes place like 12 years after where we left the characters at the end of Part Two. Their journey, their story is different this time, and that’s why I always say that while it’s the same world, it’s a new film with new circumstances.

Honestly, sign me up. The ending of Dune: Part Two in many ways felt like a cliffhanger, where Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides ultimately chose the "dark side", proclaiming himself as the true Muad'Dib and beginning a prophesied holy war. As such, fans are eager to know what happens next, and how Zendaya's Chani reacts.

Rather than directly following upon the events of Dune: Part Two, the third movie will instead feature a time jump that's over ten years. We'll likely see the devastation that Paul's was has brought on the world, presumably he'll be a very different man than the one we followed throughout the first two movies.

After Anya Taylor-Joy's brief scene in Dune 2, fans are eager to see her character Alia aka Paul's little sister, in the flesh. Denis Villeneuve continue to cast Hollywood's biggest names in his franchise, including Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Austin Butler. The Dune: Part Two cast list was stacked, and one can only imagine who else might join the fun in Messiah.

To be clear, there's no release date for Dune: Messiah, and we will likely have to wait a few years before it finally arrives in theaters. Luckily, the universe continues to expand thanks to the upcoming Max series Dune: Prophecy. Set 10,000 years before the events of the first film, Prophecy will follow as the Bene Gesserit are formed and start to gain power. Fans assume the show's title will offer a connection to the prophecy that's been centered around Paul Atreides in the films. But we'll have to see how it all shakes out.

Dune: Prophecy will premiere November 17th on Max. For now, check the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.