Dune2 director Denis Villeneuve claims the upcoming sequel will be the biggest challenge of his career, saying, 'It’s gonna be intense.'
Dune's director, Denis Villeneuve, has stated that his next film, Dune: Part Two, will be the biggest challenge of his career. Dune, released in 2021, was the first of a two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel of the same name. The film was released with fairly positive reviews, and the sequel was confirmed within months of the first movie's release. The sequel will pick up where the first left off.
Dune: Part Two is diving right back into the story, with Paul having just joined the Fremen. Villeneuve previously revealed that the script for Dune 2 is finished, although it may still be subject to slight tweaks and rewrites as filming progresses. Filming has yet to officially start on the sequel, however, Dune: Part Two will use more IMAX footage to allow the environment of Arrakis to shine and is slated to be released in October of 2023.
"It’s gonna be intense. I’m in prep right now. Monday morning, as soon as we leave Los Angeles, it will be to start to go on with prep. I cannot say nothing about the movie – I don't like to talk about projects as I am doing them – but it's probably going to be the biggest challenge of my career, again, because it's even more complex than Part One."
Villeneuve has previously hinted that some characters, such as Zendaya's Chani, will have a more integral role in Dune 2. Dune: Part Two will adapt the second half of the classic novel and is not the only Dune project currently in the works. A spinoff series, Dune: The Sisterhood, is in the works with HBO Max, and it is also rumored that Villeneuve may make Dune 3 to continue the story of Paul and Chani. If Warner Bros.
Dune and Dune: Part Two aim to adapt a beautiful novel in a satisfying way, giving a face to a piece of foundational sci-fi literature, and if the Oscar nominations are anything to go by, they're already succeeding at that goal. It's clear that Villeneuve and the entire cast and crew respect the source material, and the director calling it the biggest challenge of his career is a promising sign for fans of the original novel.