Director Denis Villeneuve is awaiting the release of his sci-fi follow-up Dune: Part Two. The sequel to 2021’s Dune is based on the acclaimed novel franchise by author Frank Herbert. The novels have been adapted twice before, once by filmmaker David Lynch and once by the Sci Fi Channel. Director Alejandro Jodorowsky also attempted to make a film before Lynch.
The second film of the franchise was only greenlit after Dune: Part One fared well at the box office when it was released mid-pandemic in October 2021. However, Denis Villeneuve stated that he was not yet done with the franchise and that he would retire from it and move on after working on the threequel based on the novel Dune Messiah.
Denis Villeneuve Wants to Retire From The Franchise After Dune Messiah
Director Denis Villeneuve has been widely regarded as a modern-day auteur due to his distinctive style of filmmaking. Though he has tackled big-screen blockbusters, Villeneuve has often been categorized with artistic mainstream filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan. The franchises that the director chooses to work on also seem to not conform to the trends of Hollywood.
After directing harrowing indies in his native country of Canada, Denis Villeneuve gained notoriety with his films Prisoners, Enemy, and Sicario. The director then tackled his first sci-fi film with the Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner starrer Arrival. The film fetched him his first nomination for Best Director at the Oscars. He then made the sequel Blade Runner 2049.
Villeneuve then moved on to his dream project, Dune, and has been working on the two films for the past six years. The director reportedly fell in love with the books when he was fourteen years old and made sure that he adapted the novels to his sensibilities. After Dune: Part Two and the yet-to-be-greenlit Dune Messiah, however, the director reportedly wanted to depart from the franchise. He said in an interview with Time Magazine,
“Dune Messiah should be the last Dune movie for me.”
The director has reportedly signed on to direct another sci-fi film, adapting author Arthur C Clarke’s novel Rendezvous with Rama. Arthur C Clarke was the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was adapted by Stanley Kubrick. Villeneuve was also reportedly working on an adaptation of Stacey Cliff’s biographical novel Cleopatra: A Life.
Denis Villeneuve’s Commitment To The Big Screen Experience
Director Denis Villeneuve has made a brand out of his way of filmmaking by committing to the big screen experience. He came out in support of the theatrical experience when Warner Bros. Studio decided to release their slate of films in cinemas as well as streaming on the same day. The slate of films also included Dune: Part One.
Villeneuve has also made it a point to not conform to general trends in Hollywood. Though the filmmaker has tackled big-scale franchises, he has made sure to not let go of his own style and vision in the midst of increasing cinematic universes with a singular vision. He told Time Magazine about the film industry’s current state,
“We behave like algorithms, as filmmakers. We’re in a very conservative time; creativity is restricted. Everything’s about Wall Street. What will save cinema is freedom and taking risks. And you feel the audience is excited when they see something they haven’t seen before.”
One of the ways in which Denis Villeneuve set himself apart from other franchise filmmakers was through the extreme care he took with his visual effects. The effects in his films look more real and practical than usual blockbusters and have also won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects twice, for Blade Runner 2049 and Dune. He also takes care of not just the large moments but also the little ones, such as the mouse in Dune. He said,
“I don’t want to break the magic but it’s a mouse that doesn’t exist…It’s like an act of hope, the ultimate way of dreaming.”
Dune: Part Two will be released on March 1, 2024, and will star Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and more.
Dune: Part One is streaming on Max.
