The news we have all been waiting for with baited spice-laced breath is finally here! Legendary Pictures confirmed that Dune 2 is definitely happening on its Twitter account. Hans Zimmer and Timothée Chalamet have also tweeted about the highly-anticipated sequel. Dune 2 is set to release just under two years from Part One – with Variety reporting a date of October 10, 2023.
Dune has surprised many by making $40 million in its opening weekend, despite going day-and-date to HBO Max. As soon as fans saw the title card of Dune – Part One at the start of the movie, they have been clamouring for news of a sequel. Part Two will have an exclusively theatrical run, which was reportedly a key part of negotiations between Legendary and Warner Bros.
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
Dune has been both critically-acclaimed, with 84% on Rotten Tomatoes currently and a financial success. The critical consensus cites the “scope and ambition of this visually-thrilling adaptation.”
With opinion split (but mostly leaning negative) over David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic saga, Denis Villeneuve was always attempting something risky with his $165 million budget. However, once the casting news started rolling in, anticipation started to build.
Early reviews for Dune from the Venice Film Festival were generally glowing, confirming that Villeneuve had pulled off the difficult feat of making spice, sandworms and a floating villain comprehensible for audiences. A character with a name as wonderful as Duncan Idaho, played by an actor as charismatic as Jason Momoa surely helped make Dune more palatable.
While some expressed shock at Dune’s abrupt ending, many took this to be confirmation that a sequel had to happen. Speculation will now build about how far into the book series Villeneuve will be allowed to go…