• In a recent interview with Empire, Dune director Denis Villeneuve, outlined his interest to make a third film.
• The release of Dune: Part Two is currently delayed until next year, with the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes impacting its rollout.
• If a third film were to be made, it would centre around the works of Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah novel.

If you, like us, were gutted by the news that the release of Dune: Part Two has been delayed until some time in 2024, there might be a nugget of recompense as director Denis Villeneuve has weighed in on the prospect of helming a third film inspired by the work of Frank Herbert and completing his Dune trilogy.

Villeneuve was speaking to Empire magazine on the subject for its most recent cover story, stating that, “it would be a dream.”

Further exploring the possibility, Villeneuve explained the next chapter in a Dune trilogy would focus on the story that Frank Herbert penned after the reception of the original book in 1965, called Dune Messiah. This too would focus on the protagonist of Paul Atreides following his encounters with the Padishah Emperor.

“Dune Messiah was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero,” noted Villeneuve. “Which is not what he wanted to do. My adaptation [for Dune] is closer to his idea that it’s actually a warning,” he continued.

As for whether we will receive a third film from the director, the prospect of that happening will of course depend on the success and reception of Dune: Part Two, which was originally scheduled to release in early November this year.

How the delay, which is reportedly the result of the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes impacting several projects in Hollywood at the moment, remains to be seen. Either way fans of the first film, which includes many in our own office, are eagerly awaiting an official new release date for Part Two.

We’re also keen on getting a third film, especially as there is much from the novel that was missing in Part One.

You can read the full exclusive Empire interview with Denis Villeneuve here.