Denis Villeneuve's Dune remake will have at least one sequel. Villeneuve announced his plans to make at least one more installment back in early 2018 when he estimated it was going to take two years to complete both movies. At the time, the director stated there could be more movies down the line, which will more than likely depend on how well the first two are received at the box office upon their respective release dates. Fans have been waiting for a proper adaptation of Frank Herbert's iconic source material ever since David Lynch tried back in the 1980s.
Legendary CEO Joshua Grode has confirmed the Dune remake sequel news. Frank Herbert's original novel is dense, to say the least, and trying to cram it all into one movie would be unwise and could end up taking us back to 1984 with David Lynch's attempt. With that being said, Denis Villeneuve has had a vision about where to take his version for quite some time. Grode had this to say.
"There's a backstory that was hinted at in some of the books (that we expanded). Also, when you read the book there's a logical place to stop the movie before the book is over."
This confirms earlier reports about the first half of Frank Herbert's Dune being the first movie, with the second half turning into the sequel. Denis Villeneuve is currently shooting the mammoth project with eyes on a 2020 release date. The remake stars Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgard as Baron Harkonnen, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Zendaya as Chani, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam.
The official synopsis for the Dune remake calls it an "emotionally charged hero's journey," which tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding. As for how Denis Villeneuve is going to pull this all off, that is unknown. There is a great amount of pressure to tell this story in the right way after years of seeing it fail. John Harrison's 2000 Dune miniseries was able to gain a following, but there were too many limitations and restrictions.
Related: Dune Remake Gets Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck
Denis Villeneuve has the chance to make the Dune adaptation fans have been waiting decades for and has teased he wants to make Star Wars "for adults." He is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, which is based on Frank Herbert's novel. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are consulting on the project, which should go along way in the creative control element when trying to get as close to the source material and backstory as possible. The interview with Legendary CEO Joshua Grode was originally conducted by The Hollywood Reporter.
