Would you watchDuneif it had a completely different cast and director? Because that seems to be what’s happening.
Multiple sources havereportedrumors that Warner Bros. and Legendary already have plans in place to extend the Dune franchise beyond the Denis Villeneuve trilogy. Jordan Ruimy reports that a “contact that’s been close to the Quebecois filmmaker told me in the fall that Villeneuve was rather ‘irked’ by these potential plans to expand the franchise, with or without him.”
Daniel Richtman’sreporthints at a “new show and a fourth movie.”
Will Denis, Timotheé, Zendaya, And Others Return?
I would imagine not. Denis is one of the most in-demand filmmakers in Hollywood. He already has the historical epicCleopatrain pre-production. He’s signed on to an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’sRendezvous with Rama. And Denis already has a deal in place to dramatize the non-fiction bookNuclear War: AScenario.Once the story of Paul Atreides has been told, Villeneuve probably moves on.
Every Dune Game, Ranked
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And you could expect the same for Timotheé Chalamet, Zendaya, and Florence Pugh. One of the reasons they all signed on toDunein the first place was because they had the chance to work with Denis. But they’re all rising stars who have their pick of projects. Zendaya and Pugh are already deep into the MCU. Having commitments to another extended, unending universe doesn’t seem realistic.
Children of Duneis the next book in the Dune series, followingMessiah. No spoilers, but some characters from the first three movies play key roles inChildren of Dune. So maybe we’ll see recasting? Especially since nearly a decade passes between novels.
Dune Seems To Be The Next Big Expanded Universe
In the 90s, studios lived and died by the blockbuster. Come the 00s, the strategy shifted to tentpole franchises. Not just one movie, but a trilogy (Lord of the Rings). Not just a trilogy, but a whole series (Harry Potter). Then the Marvel Cinematic Universe turned the 2010s into a race for expanded universes. And that’s where we still are.
The Dune series is so rich in lore and potential that Warner Bros. could make it their Star Wars. Though their first attempt,Dune: Prophecy, has met with mixed reviews overall. The Metacritic scores are 64 from critics (low-end of positive) and 5.4 from users (mid-tier). But the studiorenewedProphecyfor a second season.
That’s the thing about universes like Dune and Star Wars. They’re so full of stories that if one doesn’t find an audience, you move on to another. It makes sense why Warner Bros. is so high on the franchise.
Dune: Part Three
