When it comes to recent epic sci-fi fantasy movies on the big screen, Dune is by far the most ambitious among them, and despite its huge budget the film was enough of a hit for directors Denis Villeneuve to be allowed to get his wish of continuing the story in Dune: Part Two. The might of Dune is captured by its 10 Oscar nominations, which include one for Best Picture but not for Best Director, and we will find out on Sunday night how successful the movie is in award terms. For Villeneuve, however, it seems that he has a lot more to give when it comes to Dune: Part Two, which he recently called the “biggest challenge” of his career.
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Unlike the previous adaptation of Dune by David Lynch in 1984, which condensed Frank Herbert’s massive novel into one film and bombed at the box office, Villeneuve initially split the book into two movies. While there was no guarantee that the director would get to make the second chapter, like many similar ventures of recent years like Stephen King’s IT, by the time the movie released it was clear that Part Two would soon be heading into production. For that reason, much of the preparation work has already been done on Dune: Part Two, which will see the return of many of the first movie’s cast members.
Speaking with ET Canada, Villeneuve explained that for him, as soon as the Oscar ceremony ends he will be back to work on the sequel, which he promised will be “even more complex than Part One.” The director said:
“It’s gonna be intense. I’m in prep right now. Monday morning, as soon as we leave Los Angeles, it will be to start to go on with prep. I cannot say nothing about the movie – I don’t like to talk about projects as I am doing them – but it’s probably going to be the biggest challenge of my career, again, because it’s even more complex than Part One.”
Dune: Part Two Will Expand The Roles of A Number of Characters From The First Movie
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When it comes to Dune: Part Two, there are many characters who appeared in the first movie that will be given more screen time and expanded storylines in the second part. This includes bigger roles for Javier Bardem, and Zendaya, whose story with Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, will be a dominant part of the new movie’s plot.
“For Zendaya, I will say Part One was a promise. I know that we saw a glimpse of her in Part One, but in Part Two, she’ll have a prominent part. We will follow Timothée and Zendaya on their adventures in the desert. That’s the thing that excited me most about going back to Arrakis is to spend time with those characters again,” Villeneuve told Variety earlier this year.
While Dune didn’t get by unscathed when it came to critical reviews, Villeneuve is hoping that Dune: Part Two will not be the last movie in the franchise, as he has already teased that he wants to follow up his Dune movies with the second book in the series, Messiah. While that will certainly need Dune: Part Two to show a growth in audience numbers from its predecessor, we are still over a year away from discovering whether a third movie is on the cards or not after Dune: Part Two releases in October 2023.
