The second
part of Denis Villenueve's Dune saga has been set up to be a huge cinematic feat
when it comes to delivering on all the things that were introduced in the first movie.
Many fans of the book and that first film are excited to see the adaptation of the full Paul
Atreides story and in the past few years, we've been told that this journey will take
place in a new movie trilogy. In the source material, which includes Frank Herbert's
Dune and Dune Messiah, there are monumental moments, characters and plot points, that if
adapted right, can deliver on everything that Part 1 setup. So what can we expect when it
comes to the story, the filmmaking and the overall excitement for the rest of this new
science fiction trilogy. In this video, I'm going to be discussing just that,
and sharring details when it comes to everything we currently know about the future films. There
will be spoilers from the Dune books in this discussion, so I would recommend not watching
this video if you are someone who hasn't fully read Frank Herbert's story. But before I
get into it, if you want to keep up to date on any of my content surrounding Dune Part 2,
Messiah and beyond, then don't forget to support this upload by giving it a like rating,
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But without further a do, lets dive into Denis Villeneuve's planned Dune Trilogy.
So before the release of Dune Part 1, Denis Villeneuve made it clear in interviews,
that it was his intention to adapt the whole of Paul Atreides story onto the big screen, which
includes material from Frank Herbert's Dune and Dune Messiah. He said "I always envisioned
three movies. It's not that I want to do a franchise, but this is Dune, and Dune is a
huge story. In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies. That would
be the dream. To follow Paul Atreides and his full arc would be nice. Frank Herbert
wrote six books, and the more he was writing, the more it was getting psychedelic, so I don't
know how some of them could be adapted. One thing at a time. If I ever have the
chance to do Dune: Part Two and Dune Messiah, I'm blessed". Now of course, there's the extended
potential surrounding Children Of Dune, God Emperor Of Dune, Heretics Of Dune,
Chapterhouse: Dune and beyond, which pick up afterwards with Paul's Children. And
while Denis could eventually change his mind and want to adapt these as well, I think he's made
it quite clear that his sole focus right now is on the 3 film arc of Paul Atreides. He's stated
before that he wanted to create something as epic in the science fiction landscape
as say the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and really give us a 3 part journey that would
feel complete for it's individual telling, even though, the story does expand beyond it. And I
have to say I really respect this decision. We've seen franchises and filmmakers go a
step beyond what could have been just a trilogy or a perfect set of films, and things can at
times become saturated or play too much with the familiar to a point where people begin
to lose interest. Just look at Star Wars or the recent Fantastic Beasts films as just a
few examples. Of course, things dramatically change in the Dune saga's story, and this
doesn't mean that another filmmaker can't come along and adapt those stories beyond Messiah.
But with Denis, he knows what he's interested in and he knows the arc that will work on
screen for his take in this Dune world. And if that means we're gonna get Part 2 and
Messiah to wrap up his trilogy, then I'm all for it. We also learnt a few years back that
Messiah is also aiming to release quite a few years later than we'd expect, as Denis
and production members have gone on record saying that they will need to have some time
to allow for actors to age up between Dune Part 2 and Messiah. So there's a lot of time
involved, not just in making the films and putting as much effort into each one as possible,
but also in waiting, so that they can be done right with actors having aged. On top
of this, Denis is planning to adapt the Arthur C. Clarke book, Rendezvous with Rama,
in between both of his final Dune movies. So at the minute, we're looking at a potential
2026-2028 release for the final Villeneuve Dune film. This is something that you could
further relate to someone like Christopher Nolan and his treatment of his Dark Knight films
from over a decade ago, where he made Batman Begins, took a break and did The Prestige,
came back to the franchise with The Dark Knight, and then before the final film, he worked
on Inception. It's like having a healthy balance between making different types of film,
that can also make you even better at when it comes to your work on a franchise. I like
this approach, and yes I know the reason for it is more to do with the actors aging up,
but it fuels the anticipation and the creativity, when it comes to making 3 films, making
them really well, and then giving that artistic trilogy the room to be remembered long term. Of
course, Warner Bros and HBO are looking to expand beyond these 3 films and they
are trying to get spin-offs made like Dune The Sisterhood, even if we have heard recent
issues with that project when it comes to both the showrunner and actor stepping down. So
there is still room for expansion within the Dune world, but when it comes to Denis
Villeneuve and his interaction with Dune on the big screen, it does look like this is going to
be a trilogy, and one that is worked on for quite a few years, so that it
can be the best possible set of films. And I think one of the main points that
really seperates Dune from other franchises and gives it the longterm potential to be remembered
as an iconic trilogy, up there with say the original Star Wars, the Lord Of The Rings
or Nolan's Dark Knight films, is the approach that Denis and co are taking when it comes to
it's beloved filmmaking. How many sagas or franchises today, have we gone to watch
a new instalment for and came out feeling like we've seen it all before. The overuse of green
screen, the forcing of badly written comedy when its not needed, the decline
in blockbuster storytelling, or actors playing roles that don't need a compelling performance to
sell them. It happens a lot today and I think the main thing that blew me away with Dune,
was that it was a film which reminded me creatively, and experimently of the golden
days of blockbuster filmmaking. We had a huge cast that all brought compelling
performances, even at times with lesser screentime, and sold the unique characters that
Herbert wrote on the page. We've barely seen the full extent of the Harkonnens, but every scene
we got with them in part 1, sold their presence, sold the treat that they pose and
helped expand this universe. It was a more serious story in science fiction cinema and
the approach that the actors, the production workers and the screenwriters took, was one
that reminds us that big screen storytelling can be as good as it was before. You know just
from the filmmaking details surrounding how they shot with sandscreens to get the lighting
of Arrakis just right, or burying microphones in the sand and hitting
the surface to get the thumps and sounds that we eventually heard in the film, is stuff that
has now become legendary. It was grand yet experimental and it proposed that this Dune
saga would be aiming to achieve things beyond the conventional blockbuster film of today. And with
Part 1 having pulled off all of its incredible feats in 2021, we can only
imagine what Part 2 and Messiah are going to bring to try and top that. Just think about,
how could they capture Timothee Chalamet's Paul learning to ride a sandworm and then riding it
into battle, and make that look as realistic and detailed as the special effects were in
Dune Part 1. How could they present the more psychadelic scenes like the water of
life one from the back part of the first novel. Or how are they going to go about adapting Paul
sister, Alia Atreides, who as we know, is basically an adult inside of a child's
body. There's mind boggling things in the second half of Dune that make you wonder, how can they
really adapt this well and do so in the more realistic and grounded fashion that
Part 1 aimed towards. What gives me faith is how they really adapted the book in part 1 to
fuel the trilogy as a whole. For instance, they left certain things out that we were all
expecting to see, whether it be the introduction of the emperor or the extended scenes between
the Baron and the Harkonens. And that's because Denis put a pure
focus on storytelling, specifically on Paul, his survival with his mother and the eventual rise of
the Kwisatz Haderach. The things we missed have already been noted as a focus point for Part 2,
because now that the main characters and the world of Arrakis has been established, we can really
start to dive into the extended details.
Starting with Dune Part 2, we're going to get some amazing things brought to life on the big screen,
whether it be things that we know from the back part of the novel or as I just
noted, things we thought we were gonna get in that first movie. If accurate to the material,
Part 2 will show us the rest of Paul's journey in becoming the Emperor of the known
universe and rule it from Arrakis with the Fremen. We'll see Paul and his mother Lady
Jessica live in the Sietch, home of Stilgar and the Fremen, and eventually they'll have to
drink the Water of Life. Because they are both trained in the ways of the Bene Gesserit,
they survive taking the Water, with Jessica becoming the new Reverend Mother, and Paul
gaining ascention. From here, we know that Paul will form the Fedaykin fighters,
who will help him retake Arrakis from the Harkonen and dethrone the emperor. Within this arc
includes Paul learning to ride a worm, his sister Alia being born with powerful abilities,
Paul's fight with the infamous Feyd Rautha and the connective revelations surrounding
the Atreides and Harkonens. So from a plot perspective there's so much development due
to take place and it can really deliver on all the things that Denis and his team chose to
introduce in part 1. Not just that but there's all the extended looks at returning characters
and new characters in this universe too. Villeneuve said that Chani will become a
main character in Part 2, and that wil likely include the moments where she becomes a Sayyadina,
her relationship with Paul or showing us more about the Fremen's way of life.
On top of this, the Emperor and Feyd rautha will be introduced, showing the true grip of
their power, and then according to production workers, we'll also see much more of Baron
Harkonnen and the multiple planets. So on it's own, the next instalment is going to have much
more of everything. And again, the first movie really allows for this development,
indicating at greater things to come. But here's the thing, while Dune Part 2
will have so much more for us to chew on, the central meaning and purpose of Frank Herbert’s
sci-fi novels, won't be fully delivered on until a likely third movie, with the adaptation of
Dune Messiah. And that's because the subversion of the savior narrative, which part 1 ended on, only
takes its full twist in Messiah. The second novel, which takes
place over a decade after the events of Dune Part 2, reveals the ramifications surrounding Paul’s
ascention as Emperor. In a reverse to other sci-fi stories like say Star Wars,
it critiques the whole idea of a saviour and shows us that even the most hopeful of messiahs
can lead the world to genocide. The very notion of what we are leading towards,
gives this whole trilogy surrounding Paul Atreides that much more intrique, and by the 3rd film,
it can stand apart from the traditional 3rd movie developments. Unlike with Luke Skywalker,
who learns to hone his abilities, overthrow the Emperor and bring his father around,
Paul gets overtaken by power and he's helpless when it comes to stopping the Fremen
from killing billions. Dune is of course meant to be a warning towards charismatic
figures and that even the most hopeful of candidates can lead many to death. And alongside
the presentation of that central message in a possible 3rd film, it's only more intriguing
to think about how the filmmaker will go about adapting the unstability of the
Atreides dynasty, the trials, and the internal conflicts and deaths of big characters. It
holds so much potential as a final entry in Villeneuve's take on Dune, and it can really
stand alone from other saga endings on the big screen, through showcasing the the failures
of the hero, how deadly religion gets and the regret faced by the central character.
So as a whole, Denis Villeneuve's Dune saga will comprise of 3 movies, ending with the
conclusion of Dune Messiah. It would be quite the understatement to say that the books
beyond Messiah will be really difficult to adapt, and while some might be dissapointed
that we didn't get a further exploration, it could protect this iteration from the
wild things that take place beyond. The 4th book, God Emperor of Dune, details the
human hybrid. There's some crazy stuff that happens, but regardless, the story that
Villeneuve is focussing on is one that shows the beginning, middle and end of Paul's journey,
which is great on it's own. Although it can be said that the true meanings of Frank Herbert's
Dune universe is only clear in the later books, Villeneuve's potential trilogy is
aiming to tell its faithful and grounded telling of Paul Atreides, and in turn, hopefully it's
enough for the filmmaker to leave his mark on this science fiction franchise. Again,
another filmmaker could always come in years afterwards and try to adapt the next books
with new actors and really add to the world, but I think the trilogy that Denis aims to
accomplish is a reasonable one and a very exciting one if it pays off. Villeneuve
has shown over the course of his filmography that he can do all types of sci-fi with Arrival and
Blade Runner 2049, that he can do great thrillers and drama work with Prisoners and Sicario,
and overall, I think he'd want to try different things in different genres beyond his
Dune Trilogy. And if that's what we got and it ends up being great, then we'd only be
more excited for other films and projects he makes in the future, like with the upcoming
Rendezvous with Rama. We'll have to see how the Dune trilogy turns out, but so far,
Denis Villeneuve has quickly become one of the most prolific modern filmmakers working today,
and part 1 of his Dune saga, suggests that this is only the beginning.
But that was my video discussing the future of Denis Villeneuve's Dune trilogy. With Dune Part
One and Part Two aiming to showcase Paul's rise to power, a potential Dune: Messiah
film to round it all off would follow his fall from that and I couldn't be more excited
to watch the completion of his journey on the big screen in the coming years. The director
has obviously got a huge task to pull all of this off, but like with the first entry,
it's clear that the ambition is there and the material is there to be adapted into something
really special. We'll have to see, but I'm excited to watch how Denis will capture the
greatest moments from both books in the next two films, and hopefully Dune Part 2 really
delivers on the momentum that was set previously. But let me know down below in the comments section
whether you're looking forward to the completion of the Dune Trilogy and how
you think Denis Villenueve will go about adapting the next films.
For much more videos and news on Denis Villeneuve's Dune universe, then subscribe
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