Dune 3: Director Denis Villeneuve Will Make Messiah On One Condition - And It's Big

Thanks to the talents of director Denis Villeneuve, an immensely wonderful cast, and everyone else on the crew, "Dune: Part Two" blew everyone away at the box office. As of this writing, it stands at $574 million worldwide, and seeing as the "Dune: Part Two" Rotten Tomatoes score united critics, it's becoming increasingly likely that "Dune 3" will become a reality. However, Villeneuve has one major condition for returning for what would presumably be an adaptation of the next book in the series, "Dune Messiah."

The filmmaker spoke with Empire about the making of "Dune: Part Two" and ended the conversation with a promise of sorts about a prospective sequel. He stated, "If we go back, it needs to be real, it needs to be relevant, if ever I do 'Dune Messiah,' [it will be] because it's going to be better than 'Part Two.' Otherwise, I don't do it." That's a tall order given the overwhelming response from critics and general audiences, but if any filmmaker has proven they can up themselves time and time again, it's Villeneuve. 

The director has already mentioned that audiences shouldn't expect "Dune 3" anytime soon, especially as he might pursue another project before then. Hopefully, viewers' next trip to Arrakis winds up being worth the wait. 

With all the money coming in from "Dune: Part Two," it's a safe bet Warner Bros. would want more "Dune" movies, with or without Denis Villeneuve. To his credit, the filmmaker has been outspoken about making "Dune 3," but even if he moves forward with it, that would be it from him. He told Time before the release of "Dune: Part Two," "'Dune Messiah' should be the last 'Dune' movie for me." It would be a good endpoint for the director, as he described subsequent novels in the series as becoming increasingly "esoteric" in a separate interview with Empire. Even so, "Dune Messiah" is a fairly radical departure from the first "Dune" book.

"Dune Messiah" features a significant time jump, and it doesn't have the same cinematic sensibilities as the first book, concerning itself with philosophy and intrigue over straight-up action. Villeneuve would have his work cut out for him adapting it to the screen, but it's obvious why he would want "Dune 3" to round out his time within this universe and close out the arc of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). He told Empire, "'Dune Messiah' was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero, which is not what he wanted to do. My adaptation [of 'Dune'] is closer to his idea that it's actually a warning."

Villeneuve's "Dune 3" could see Paul become a horrific emperor, leading a jihad that results in the deaths of billions. Villeneuve has already set the stage for that with his first two "Dune" movies, and "Dune Messiah" could be the massive payoff audiences are looking for.