When director Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE hit theaters and HBO Max, especially after a long delay thanks to Covid, there was question of whether or not this “Part One” would earn enough money to get a sequel. The thought of it not getting one was particularly disturbing, as the current film really does feel like a big first chapter or a giant story… because it is. Villeneuve split the story from Frank Herbert’s original novel into two on purpose, allowing him to make a much more faithful adaptation for the big screen than say David Lynch’s take. Thankfully audiences showed up to see the end result, and the movie has earned enough money worldwide to give Warner Bros’ and Legendary confidence to give an official greenlight to DUNE Part Two, and they’ve even set a release date.
This is only the beginning…
Thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead. We're excited to continue the journey! pic.twitter.com/mZj68Hnm0A
— Legendary (@Legendary) October 26, 2021
Denis Villeneuve was quoted to say this on the matter – “I just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with Dune: Part Two. It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ and I have the fans, the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream. This is only the beginning.”
We also know when to expect this second movie, as the studios have set a October 2023 date as of this writing. Timothée Chalamet is expected to return playing Paul Atreides, and director Denis Villeneuve is clearly on board. The bigger question now is where else this could lead – might we get a third DUNE film? Is this the start of a new Science Fiction franchise? Villeneuve has implied in interviews that he’s interested in possibly making three films, and is very invested in this, so if the sequel plays well we could very well get more. Did you see DUNE yet? Are you excited about this news? Sound off in the comments below.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
