Dune: Part Two has swept the box office recently, pulling in over half a billion dollars in just a couple of weeks. The sci-fi epic from Villeneuve may feel like a magnum opus, but the director is looking for even greater heights in a potential third film.
Speaking with Empire, Villeneuve addressed the potential of doing Dune: Messiah, adapting the second book in Frank Herbert's series. It seems that we won't be getting right back to Arrakis straight away. "For six years I was on Arrakis non-stop, and I think it will be healthy to step back a little bit," Villeneuve said. "First, make sure that we have a strong screenplay. The thing I want to avoid is not having something ready. I never did it, and now I feel it could be dangerous because of the enthusiasm. We need to make sure all the ideas are on paper."
"If we go back, it needs to be real, it needs to be relevant," he continued. "If ever I do Dune Messiah, [it's] because it's going to be better than Part Two. Otherwise, I don't do it."
Dune: Messiah will certainly be less action-packed than Part Two, unless some major changes are made. Considering how Villeneuve's second film ends, it is likely we could see some big shifts from the plot of the books.