It hasn’t been the smoothest journey for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune to get to the big screen, thanks to the pandemic, but the multiple delays didn’t stop the blockbuster from pulling in USD $41 million in ticket sales in its first weekend, and nearly USD $225 million globally.
Now, Villeneuve and the cast, which includes Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, have even more to celebrate with the announcement that Dune 2 has been given the green light at Legendary Entertainment.
The company made the announcement via Twitter with a post that read: “This is only the beginning… Thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead. We’re excited to continue the journey!”
This is only the beginning…
Thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead. We're excited to continue the journey! pic.twitter.com/mZj68Hnm0A
— Legendary (@Legendary) October 26, 2021
According to Variety, Warner Bros. will distribute the film and help finance it, though Legendary is the primary money behind the movie and owns the film rights to the book series.
Dune: Part 2 is expected to have an exclusive theatrical run, unlike the first instalment which debuted both in theatres and on HBO Max, a decision many studios have made over the past 18 months of the pandemic. The sequel is expected to land in theatres in the US on October 20, 2023, and hopefully in Australia shortly thereafter.
Of course, it would seem that making more than just one Dune film was always part of Villeneuve’s plan, with the director being very clear in interviews that he fully intended to turn Frank Herbert’s epic novel into two films. He even went so far as to include “Dune: Part 1” in the movie’s opening title sequence.
“I wanted at the beginning to do the two parts simultaneously”, he told Variety at the Toronto Film Festival.
“For several reasons, it didn’t happen, and I agreed to the challenge of making part one and then wait to see if the movie rings enough enthusiasm… As I was doing the first part, I really put all my passion into it, in case it would be the only one. But I’m optimistic.”
Dune: Part 1 stars Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem but it is so far unknown how many of the original cast will return for the second instalment.
Dune will be in HOYTS cinemas from December 2, 2021.
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