Denis Villeneuve‘s pair of Dune movies (which are streaming with a Max subscription) are already being considered some of the best sci-fi movies of all time. The pair of films is wildly popular, and fans are eager for a third movie following Dune Part Two‘s ending. While the filmmaker originally intended to do have a break, his latest comments about Messiah make it seem like it’s coming sooner than expected, with him saying outright “I still want to go back to Arrakis.”
Back in October it was revealed that Denis Villeneuve started writing Dune Messiah, to the delight of fans like myself. Frank Herbert’s book of the same name is set years after Paul Atreides takes power, and shows how it’s corrupted him. While speaking with The Wrap about his career, the filmmaker spoke about his excitement over the threequel, offering:
When I saw Part Two finished, finally, I realized that that was it. I’d done it. I’d done an adaptation of Dune. And that is something that is an incredible privilege. I’m very grateful to have the chance to have done it. I think my biggest surprise about this is that I don’t want to run away from Arrakis. I’m still inspired to go back. That’s the thing that I was the most surprised by. I felt that after Part Two, I would need a break. I thought that I would want to go write a few films or do a couple of things before going back to Dune: Messiah. But the images that kept coming back to my mind, the appetite is absolutely intact. That’s the biggest surprise. I still want to go back to Arrakis.
Do you hear that sound? Its various Dune fans cheering. Because while it’s going to be tough waiting for Messiah to finally hit theaters, Villeneuve made it clear that he’s ready to return to Arrakis for a third installment. Hopefully that means that we get the blockbuster sooner than originally anticipated.
Filming the first two Dune movies was a huge job for Denis Villeneuve, especially given the dessert locations necessary to bring Arrakis exteriors to life. So it would have been understandable if he wanted to pivot to a smaller production following the wildly successful release of Part Two. But it sounds like he’s already missing the sci-fi world of Frank Herbert.
Narratively, there plenty of threads to pull from for the next story. Dune 2‘s ending saw Paul Atreides ascend to the role of Lisan al Gaib. Chani is seen leaving in disappointed, and it seems like his prophesied dreams of disaster might be coming. Fans were also introduced to Anya Taylor-Joy‘s Alia Atreides while she was still in the womb.
The first two Dune movies are streaming now on Max. While we wait for news about Messiah, check the 2025 movie release dates.