Things are about to get very spicy in Hollywood.

Denis Villeneuve did the impossible and made a thrilling, coherent, beautiful adaptation of Frank Herbert’s DuneBut technically he only made half of a thrilling, coherent, beautiful adaptation — because he only shot about half of Herbert’s original novel. Villeneuve wanted to make Dune into two films and shoot them back-to-back, but Legendary and Warner Bros. would only put up the money for one film. If that one was a success, they’d give him the money to make the second one. But if the movie flopped, Villeneuve would have to settle for an unfinished masterpiece.

Thankfully, that worst outcome won’t come to pass. Dune has done well in theaters, grossing $41 million in the U.S. in its opening weekend even though the film was also available simultaneously on HBO Max. It’s also grossed $220 million worldwide so far, solid numbers for an artful science-fiction film released in the midst of a global pandemic. Those numbers were apparently good enough for Legendary Pictures to officially announce that they’ll bankroll Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. 

The news was made on the company’s Twitter account, writing “This is only the beginning... thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead. We’re excited to continue the journey!”

Although not mentioned in the tweet, Villeneuve is expected to return as director as well.

According to reports, the film is planned to premiere in theaters in the fall of 2023, with no HBO Max release component this time. The exact storyline for Dune: Part Two could change, but the novel does offer what should be a pretty concrete outline for what happens next. Frankly, we can’t wait to see it.

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