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Already daydreaming about Dune 3? You are not alone. It might only be March, but it's safe to say that if 2023 was the year of Barbie, 2024 is gearing up to be the year of Dune. Denis Villeneuve's epic sequel is already breaking box office records with millions making the trip to the cinema to see the continuation of the tale of Paul Atreides (and maybe to pick up the infamous Dune popcorn bucket, too).
The first two Dune films cover the events of Frank Herbert's first novel in his cult sci-fi series — but although the second Dune film may take us to the conclusion of the book, we are left with more questions than answers about Paul's fate on Arrakis. Here's everything we know about the (potential) upcoming Dune 3.
Zendaya, Florence Pugh and Rebecca Ferguson may be the most interesting thing about Dune: Part Two.
Dune 2 ending explained
Dune: Part Two continues where the first film left off: Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are now living with the Fremen, the native people of the desert planet Arrakis. After Jessica and later Paul drink the Water of Life, they both gain access to generations of Bene Gesserit wisdom, essentially giving them supernatural powers.
By the end of the film, Paul has seemingly embraced his status as the a messianic figure amongst the Fremen. After killing both Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) the Baron's nephew, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), Paul effectively wrests power from the galaxy's Emperor (Christopher Walken) and becomes engaged to the Emperor's daughter, Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) in the process. In doing so, he gives up his relationship with Chani (Zendaya), a Fremen foot soldier. As the film ends, Paul asks the heads of the powerful Houses of the galaxy to accept him as the new Emperor. When they refuse, he announces his plan to go to war with them all. “Send them to paradise,” he says ominously. Jessica, who, it seems, has planned this all along, adds, “The Holy War begins.” It's an ending that promises much more action and intrigue to come.
Is Dune: Part 3 confirmed?
Not yet — but by the sounds of things, a third Dune film is very, very likely.
Director Denis Villeneuve has already stated that his goal is to make a trilogy. “If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream,” he told Empire. The third film would cover the events of Herbert's second novel, Dune: Messiah. However, Villeneuve isn't interested in adapting any of Herbert's other Dune novels. “After that the books become more… esoteric,” he said.
Worms and spice not included.
When will Dune: Part 3 be released?
Assuming Dune 3 is greenlit soon, the film would probably take a while to come to fruition.
What will happen in Dune 3? After all, each Dune film involves a huge amount of work! There was a three-year interval in between the first and the second film, so we may need to be a little patient when it comes to Dune 3 — realistically, we might be looking at a release date of around 2027!
Who will be in Dune 3?
If Villeneuve's third Dune film does follow the events of Dune: Messiah, we can expect to see a lot of the core cast returning: Chalamet, Ferguson, and Zendaya will all likely return. “There’s never just [an immediate] yes or a no,” said Ferguson to The Playlist of her role in the potential third film. "I’m very much what’s on the page; the story needs to be there, and there needs to be reason.”
Pugh would also be returning to her role as Irulan — and this time, her part would likely be a little meatier. “If there's a Dune: Messiah as we plan, [Pugh will] become one of the prominent characters of that whole series,” Villeneuve explained to Moviefone. “I'm doing a bit of what I did with Zendaya in the first movie.”
