Denis Villeneuve Says Dune 3 Is ‘Not Like a Trilogy’

Denis Villeneuve appeared on Vanity Fair’s “Little Gold Men” podcast and stressed that an upcoming third “Dune” movie based on Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune Messiah” is not being developed as the completion of a trilogy in his eyes. Legendary confirmed in April that development on “Dune 3” was underway following the blockbuster success of “Dune: Part 2,” which grossed $711 million worldwide earlier this year.

“First, it’s important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych,” Villeneuve said of the first two “Dune” movies. “It was really a pair of movies that will be the adaptation of the first book. That’s done and that’s finished. If I do a third one, which is in the writing process, it’s not like a trilogy. It’s strange to say that, but if I go back there, it’s to do something that feels different and has its own identity.”

“Dune Messiah” is set 12 years after the events of the first “Dune” novel, so a film adaptation would likely have to age up Villeneuve’s young cast that includes Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and more. The director said “I know how to do that” when asked how he plans to age up the cast but did not share details of his plan.

Villeneuve has long expressed interest in making a third “Dune” movie and has often said that would mark his final outing in the franchise. Herbert’s literary series continued for more novels, and Villeneuve said he’s comfortable with other directors taking over the franchise.

“Listen, if ‘Dune: Messiah’ happens, it will have been many years for me on Arrakis, and I would love to do something else,” he said. “I think that it would be a good idea for me to make sure that, in ‘Messiah,’ there are the seeds in the project if someone wants to do something else afterwards, because they are beautiful books. They are more difficult to adapt. They become more and more esoteric. It’s a bit more tricky to adapt, but I’m not closing the door. I will not do it myself, but it could happen with someone else.”

Whether or not the “Dune” cast would want to keep making films in the franchise without Villeneuve remains to be seen. Zendaya told Fandango earlier this year she was on board for “Dune 3” mainly because of her director.

“Would we be down? I mean of course,” Zendaya said when asked about making another “Dune” movie. “Any time Denis calls it’s a yes from me. I’m excited to see what happens. I started ‘Messiah’ and I was like, ‘Woah, I’m only shooting the first movie. Let me just go back to the first one.’ It’s so much to take in, but there’s no better hands with better care and love for it than Denis.”

“I’m just excited to see … It’s just anticipation,” Zendaya added about the future of the franchise. “Whenever he is ready. He’s a perfectionist in many ways and doesn’t want to share things until they’re ready. So I’m respecting that and waiting until he’s ready.”

Both “Dune” films are now available to stream on Max. Listen to Villeneuve’s full interview on the “Little Gold Men” podcast here.