Dune 3 Confirmed in Development With Denis Villeneuve Set to Return

Denis Villeneuve will be back in the director’s chair for Dune 3 .

Variety reports that Villeneuve and Legendary Entertainment are in early development on the next Dune installment expected to be based on Frank Herbert ‘s Dune: Messiah. Before the director returns to Arrakis, however, Villeneuve will work with the studio on an adaptation of Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario . The non-fiction book “explores a ticking-clock scenario about what would happen in the event of a nuclear war.”

Villeneuve comes off the heels of the Dune franchise’s massive success with critics and audiences. Starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya , 2021’s Dune earned $402 million worldwide despite having a day-and-date release on HBO Max. The recent installment Dune: Part Two has made over $630 million worldwide and currently stands as 2024’s top-grossing movie to date.

Legendary CEO Josh Grode recently confirmed Dune 3’s development as the studio awaits a finished script from Villeneuve. “I think this is a movie where you know the word of mouth is going to carry it. It is a stupendous piece of filmmaking. There’s no other way to say it. I’ve just about run out of adjectives,” Grode said in an interview with CNBC . “We have to have all creative stakeholders aligned and support the vision. I think everybody is very excited and really enjoying this moment and if Denis [Villeneuve] gets the script right and he feels that he can deliver another experience on par with what we’ve just completed then I don’t see why not.”

What happens in Dune: Messiah?

While Villeneuve previously stated that Dune and Dune: Part Two tell a “complete” story, the director teased how the events of Dune: Messiah could set up more stories for the franchise’s future. “All of the elements are there,” Villeneuve said. “But I think the movie adaptation is more tragic than the book. The way that Part Two ends…it would create a total balance and equilibrium to finish Paul’s storyline in what we could say in Part Three.”

Villeneueve’s Dune is currently streaming on Max. Dune: Part Two is now playing in theaters.