Denis Villeneuve's Dune is officially getting a sequel as Legendary Entertainment announced
the news in social media posts on Tuesday, ensuring that the spice will continue to flow
on the big screen.
Alongside this, we got news on the release date and announcements surrounding members
of the crew who are going to return for Part 2 of this new adaptation based on Frank Herbert's
seminal novel.
In this video, I'm going to be discussing all of this news and giving my own thoughts
towards it along with what we can expect for the highly anticipated Dune Part 2.
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But without further ado, let's dive into the confirmation news for Dune Part 2.
So following the announcement that Denis Villeneuve will get to make a second part to his currently
hyped film Dune, Warner Bros have been confirmed to distribute the film and help finance it,
though Legendary is the primary money behind the movie and owns the film rights to the
book series.
What comes as another piece of good news is that the film is expected to have an exclusive
theatrical run, and Legendary will likely make that point clear after Dune debuted simultaneously
in theatres and on HBO Max last week.
This unorthodox distribution pattern was a pandemic-era concession by Warner Bros, but
one that caused an uproar when it was unveiled in 2020.
So Dune: Part 2 will hit theatres only during its initial run and this will only help to
maximize the box office potential and hopefully build the numbers up from the first film.
And another piece of news confirms that the film will
release in theatres on October 20th, 2023.
So in about 2 years from now, we will be getting a continuation of the story and with
Villeneuve currently working on the script with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, it gives them
plenty of time to focus on the production and make this second part as good as it can
be.
The first part of the science-fiction epic, which opened last week in the U.S., earned
$41 million in ticket sales in its first weekend.
That result was the best film opening of the year for Warner Bros and a sign of fans’
desire to not only stream Dune, but see it on the big screen.
The film has also performed really well overseas, earning nearly $225 million globally.
Its domestic opening results were roughly in line with what Warner Bros expected the
film to generate when it was greenlit, which is notable because that was long before COVID-19
affected the media landscape.
A return to Arrakis was always part of the plan and Director Denis Villeneuve has been
adamant in interviews that his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel would have two
parts.
In fact, the film’s opening title sequence rather boldly states Dune: Part 1 and the
next part will hopefully have a better landscape
to go into, with an exclusive theatrical run and the building of hype that has come from
this first film.
Dune: Part 1 of course ends with Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, a Messianic figure
at the heart of the series, seeking shelter from enemies in the desert.
And Dune: Part 2 will follow his efforts to exact revenge
against the noble families who murdered his father, Duke Leto Atreides, and restore himself
to power.
WarnerMedia leadership also hinted at a part two in an interview
with Variety on Thursday, with executive Ann Sarnoff saying that the green light would
be based on “the entirety of what Dune can do for the company, including HBO Max.”
“The story in itself sets up for a sequel.
The production is so amazing and the storytelling is so compelling that it’s not going to
be judged on box office alone,” Said Sarnoff in that same interview.
And the two companies and Villeneuve had nothing but nice things to say when they officially
announced another instalment yesterday.
Legendary stated, “We would not have gotten to this point without the extraordinary vision
of Denis and the amazing work of his talented crew,
the writers, our stellar cast, our partners at Warner Bros, and of course the fans.
Here’s to more Dune.”
Now while casting for the film’s second part has not yet been announced, many members
of the ensemble, such as Timothee Chalamet, have said they’re ready to come back for
more.
Not to mention that we may have got a slight tease towards the casting of Feyd Rautha,
with Barry Keoghan teasing something soon after the announcement, but of course,
we can't put all of our money on that just yet.
But it is interesting to keep in mind considering that the actor has been rumoured to play Feyd
in this new Dune universe and the timing of his post and context of it,
does get us thinking that maybe that's the case.
We'll have to see but I'm sure there will be many casting announcements in the near
future, with positions for The Emperor and Princess Irulan still to be filled.
But alongside casting, it was also confirmed that composer, Hans Zimmer and cinematographer
Greig Fraser would be returning for a part 2, which is only more good news.
This now clarifies why Zimmer isn't scoring Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer as he is committed
to finishing the music for the vision that has begun with Dune Part 1.
But don't worry, I'm sure we'll see that partnership come back after both of these films in 2023.
And as for Denis Villeneuve, not only has he directed his biggest box office hit to
date, but he’s also getting to adapt the novel his way.
“It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune and I have the fans,
the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros to thank for supporting this dream,” the
director said.
“This is only the beginning.”
Villeneuve has of course accomplished something many thought was impossible.
Directors struggled for decades to bring Herbert’s novels to the screen and when David Lynch
finally did manage to adapt the sprawling book, the result was 1984’s “Dune,”
a catastrophe on every level and a picture that the filmmaker would later disavow himself.
Of course it has a cult following and I like
elements of it, but this Dune is a commercial success and from the reaction, it's garnered,
it may also have legs in awards season, with some voters already arguing that it has
Oscars potential.
So overall, this is great news for Denis Villeneuve, his team and us Dune fans.
We've been calling for a Part 2 and all the success and signs have led that into fruition.
I honestly cannot wait to see what the director, his team and cast do with this second part
and the odd casting rumour that I spoke of before, just get's me even more
excited to see how Denis tackles the elements and characters that we are yet to see be brought
to the screen.
I wonder how characters like Feyd Rautha, the emperor and
Princess Irulan will be introduced, alongside how sequences from the second part of the
book will be adapted.
The water of life scene is one that I can't wait to see brought
to life and knowing how Denis has adapted Paul's visions in the first film, only builds
my fascination towards how moments like that will be brought to the screen too.
It's going to be interesting, but the second half
of the novel has the potential to be adapted in a way that is even more epic and thought-provoking
than the first part and after absolutely loving the film, Part 2 cannot
come soon enough.
But that was my video discussing the announcement of a Dune Part 2.
Like I said, I'm sure we will get more announcements in the months that follow the release of Part
1, and with Denis and his team beginning production
in the middle of next year, Dune Part 2 will soon be arriving and us fans will definitely
contribute to its theatrical performance.
And don't forget that Denis wants to make this into a potential trilogy with Dune: Messiah,
so this really is only the beginning.
But let me know down below in the comments section what your thoughts are
towards the greenlighting of Dune Part 2 alongside how you would like to see certain elements
adapted from the second half of Herbert's novel.
I will also be doing a video on potential aspects of Dune Part 2 in the coming weeks,
so keep a lookout for whenever I post.
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But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, I've been Cortex and as always make some noise.