On 3 May, fans got their first proper look at Dune: Part Two with the release of a new trailer. The first film came out on 22 October 2021 with the second movie set to hit theatres on 3 November 2023. According to Box Office Mojo, the first film grossed $402,027,830 worldwide against a budget of $165 million. Consequently, Part Two has a lot to prove when it comes to potential for future entries in the series. However, for fans, there is certainly interest – many have been asking “how many parts of Dune will there be?”
Dennis Villeneuve’s adaptation follows the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a young nobleman who is thrust into a power struggle for control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of a valuable substance called “spice.” Along with his mother and a band of rebels, Paul must navigate the treacherous political landscape of the planet and confront the ruthless House Harkonnen.
The sequel will follow up on the events of the first movie with Atreides seeking to avenge his family and prevent a dark future that he foresees as the chosen one or “Kwisatz Haderach”.
Dune received strong reviews from both critics and audiences. As a result, there is an appetite for more media in the story’s cinematic universe. But how many parts of Dune will there be? Are there any more movies planned, or will it end at two? Let’s take a look.
How many parts of Dune will there be?
In 2023, enduring cinematic universes encompassing numerous films and television series are increasingly popular. The precedent set by Marvel has been adopted by DC, Star Wars, and other major media franchises. Nevertheless, these kind of productions rely on significant fan interest to justify the ongoing and significant investment from studios.
How many parts of Dune will there be? As of writing, the Dune film series is confirmed to have two parts – the 2021 movie and 2023’s Dune: Part Two. However, in March 2022, Jon Spaihts (the writer behind both films) confirmed in an interview with The Playlist that director Denis Villeneuve has “has talked seriously” about a third film based on the Dune Messiah novel. Consequently, it is likely that there will be three parts in the Dune movie series.
Spaihts referred to the potential third movie as the “conclusion of the trilogy” that started with the 2021 film. It is worth noting that a third novel, Children of Dune, also continues the story of the characters introduced in the first book. This leaves the door open to a potential fourth part in the movie series.
What’s more, there are three further novels in Frank Herbert’s original series that follow Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune. As a result, it is possible that the cinematic series could continue well into the future.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Denis Villeneuve confirmed that he wants to produce three movies in the series. “The thing I envision, the adaptation of two books, Dune and Dune Messiah. We decided to split the first novel in two, so now we are at three movies,” he said. However, a third part in the series will be dependent on the success of the upcoming second film.
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