Dune director Denis Villeneuve gives an update on the progress of the script for Dune 2 and the filming schedule. Dune hit theaters in October 2021 and was subsequently put on HBO Max to stream. It follows the first half of Frank Herbert's first book in the Dune saga, which entails the House of Atreides accepting control of the planet Arrakis, a planet that holds spice, the most precious resource in the universe. Soon after accepting this responsibility, House Harkonnen attempts to arrest control of Arrakis by making attempts on the lives of noble family members in House Atreides and invading the planet to begin a war.
Dune was met with acclaim both from fans of the novel and newcomers to the world, despite a 156-minute runtime. The film was also well received by critics and grossed over $400 million at the box office. Much of Dune's success came not only from its A-list cast members, such as Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, and Jason Momoa, to name a few, but also for its sleek set design, its IMAX visual effects, and its sound design from Hans Zimmer.
Now, Villeneuve reveals via Collider that most of the script for Dune: Part 2 is finished and "solidified," but that as with any screenplay, it will continue to be refined until the film finishes shooting. He notes that the script's status is far enough along for them to begin preparing for the upcoming film, which is supposed to be released in October 2023. As with the first film, Villeneuve relays that fans can expect to see the use of IMAX footage, and potentially even more IMAX footage than the first movie, in Dune: Part 2, in order to capture the grandness of Arrakis' vast landscape. A full quote from Villeneuve regarding the production progress for the film can be read below:
"The screenplay is finished mostly, but it's always a work in progress. It'll be a work in progress until final cut, but I will say it's solidified. I have a script in my hands. We are in prep right now."
With the expectations set high from Dune, Villeneuve mentions that he does believe there is more pressure for the upcoming sequel, as a much broader audience was brought to the table with the first film aside from fans already familiar with the novels by Herbert. Any sort of sequel to a franchise is a challenge in itself due to not having the element of a fresh and exciting new world (for those who haven't read the books) to reveal. How Villeneuve battles these expectations in order to fully honor the novel as well as create an epic and satisfying ending for newly excited filmgoers unfamiliar with the literary work is yet to be seen.
Particularly with Dune, which is adapted from a very lengthy book, previous adaptations fell flat for trying to compress too much information into one film. The decision to split the movie into two parts may allow the sequel to continue satisfying both fans of the book and novices to the world from having adequate screen time to flesh out details which would otherwise be lost and fully develop characters' emotional arcs. Villeneuve is also a fan of the novels himself and read Dune thoroughly in order to pay homage to Herbert with the films and capture as much of the epic as can be told on screen while still maintaining engaging pacing. Dune: Part 2's release date is set for October 20, 2023, and whether this will be the last film in the franchise is not yet confirmed. Viewers will have to see the upcoming film in order to witness the close of the first novel, and how the sequel stacks up next to the lauded first film.
Source: Collider