By Tom Hartig on March 7, 2024 at 11:36 am

The spice must flow: "Dune 2" has had a fantastic start in theaters and has delighted most viewers and critics alike. No wonder that people are now calling for a third film.

Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" was already a huge risk for the filmmakers in 2021: a visually stunning, ambitious science fiction film, something the director had already attempted with "Blade Runner 2049" and which, despite critical acclaim, flopped at the box office. "Dune" had more success and grossed almost 434 million dollars worldwide. Part 2 could even surpass this result: After just one week, it has already grossed 200 million dollars, making it one of the best box office openings in recent months.

This also seems to have convinced production company Legendary Entertainment: CEO Josh Grode told CNBC in an interview that he sees no reasons against "Dune 3" after this success. According to him, it only depends on Denis Villeneuve delivering another screenplay at this level.

So the production company is happy, but what about Villeneuve? He has already stated several times that he is determined to make a film of Frank Herbert's second book: "Dune Messiah". However, fans will have to wait a while longer for this: The filmmaker emphasized that he needed a break from the huge franchise first. In the meantime, he would prefer to realize smaller projects in order to then tackle the final conclusion of the "Dune" trilogy.

"Dune 3" is therefore only a matter of time. An HBO series called "Dune: Prophecy" is also being produced in parallel. Set around 10,000 years before the movies, it focuses on the religious community of the Bene Gesserit. A release date is not yet known.