Summary
TheDunefranchise made it to the big screen thanks to the efforts of filmmaker Denis Villeneuve in spite of a decades-long consensus that the IP was entirely unworkable on the big screen. However, there’s a new creative mind in line to take over for future projects.
Dunewas unable to make the jump to the big screen despite being one of the most successful science fiction book series ever. Despite this history, Villeneuve was able to adapt the IP to massive success in 2021 withDuneand even hit a second home run withDune: Part Twoin 2024, with both films doing massive box office numbers andDune: Part Twonetting a surprising number of Golden Globes nominations. A third film was quickly announced, with Villeneuve still attached to the project. However, the director was adamant that this third entry would be his last go at adapting the books, citing the anticlimactic nature of the rest of Frank Herbert’s book series and how the story didn’t gel with his vision for the franchise.
Despite Villeneuve’s strong stance on the issue of adapting more of theDunebook series, it’s beenstrongly rumored that theDunefranchise might be going even further than fans thoughtdespite the filmmaker behind the successful adaptations making an exit. While this was open-ended when the report first dropped, trusted sourceDaniel Richtman on Patreonhas now alleged that director Gareth Edwards is currently considering taking over from Villeneuve after the upcomingDune: Messiah.According to Richtman, Edwards will be tasked with making at least one more entry in theDunemovie franchise for Warner Bros. Edwards is best known for his work on 2014’sGodzillaandRogue One: A Star Wars Storyfrom 2016. More recently, the British filmmaker wrote, directed, produced, and worked in cinematography on 2023’sThe Creatorto great effect.
While Edwards is a capable hand that could helm a big franchise film, the problems facing a fourthDunefilm are much less about competence and much more about feasibility. This might not be as much of a problem as Villeneuve makes it out to be anymore, though, and it’s mostly thanks to his creative hand on the wheel. The films have diverted so much from the books in subtle and overt ways due to both necessity and creative choices thatthe ending ofDune Part 2might even pose a problem forDune Messiah,but that actually works in the franchise’s favor. There’s no question that Villeneuve has the right of it when he says that the rest of the franchise is too esoteric, and much of the OGDunefanbase would agree. However, the franchise has set the stage to potentially do its own thing beyondDune: Messiahand that will be where Edwards steps in and shines through with a fourth installment. There’s a lot of lore to the franchise and worldbuilding that can be brought in to prop up a completely new storyline. There’s also a chance that the studio greenlights a new POV for the fourth film, setting aside Paul and his allies in favor of some other corner of theDuneuniverse.
Fans will have to wait and see what Warner Bros. actually decides and who gets the nod in the end, but Edwards is a strong choice for the role, and it won’t be any great loss for Villeneuve asthe filmmaker’s next sci-fi epic is already set and makesDunelook easy. Sci-fi fans can look forward toDune: Messiahand more from both the franchise and the filmmaker who made the impossible possible with his work on adapting one of the most difficult works of fiction ever.
TheDunefranchise is available to stream on Max, withDune Messiahstill in development.
