Denis Villenueve’s follow-up to the 2021 sci-fi epic Dune has arrived in theaters and everyone is going crazy about the film since its release. The film has been lauded by both critics and audiences for not falling into the ‘sequel trap’ as it successfully extended upon the lore established by the first film while also fleshing out core characters in exciting ways.
The film’s ending left Paul Atreides in an interesting place, a significant evolution from his arc in the first film. Many fans were expecting a post-credits scene of some sort as the MCU has made that trend popular. However, director Villeneuve wanted part 2 to stand on its own and not rely on the tease of what’s to come.
Denis Villeneuve Wanted Dune: Part Two To Be a Wholesome Experience
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two is the talk of the town as the film has managed to exceed all expectations and deliver a rousing epic that boasts a visually stunning narrative fueled by powerful socio-political themes. The characters introduced in the first film led by Timothée Chalamet‘s Paul Atreides and Zendaya’s Chani are more realized and presented in excitingly complex ways.
Just like most big-budget blockbusters like the Marvel and DC films, fans wondered whether Dune: Part Two will follow in their footsteps and integrate a post-credits scene. Villeneuve however, took a very different route and did not go with this popular trend for a very specific reason. The director wanted the film to be a wholesome experience, one that everybody could understand.
Villeneuve stated that he structured Dune: Part Two to be autonomous, where a person who hasn’t seen Part 1 could understand and enjoy Part 2. He further adds that Paul’s visions throughout the film are teases of what’s to come in Dune: Messiah and thus the film did not require any type of post-credits scenes at the end. He told Inverse,
“The thing is that I wanted Part Two to be absolutely autonomous. I wanted [a] person to be absolutely able to enjoy Part Two without having seen Part One. There are little seeds in Part Two, that are projections… like seeds that what could happen in Dune Messiah, the third movie. But it’s a bit like any people who know Dune Messiah will see those Easter eggs.”
Villeneuve makes sure to reference various arcs from Part 1 so that a newcomer in the franchise does not feel alienated and has a fulfilling experience watching Part 2. Throughout the film, he has left breadcrumbs about the franchise’s future and thus his reasoning for not including a post-credits scene is understandable and justified.
Denis Villeneuve Wants to Work on Other Projects Before Tackling Dune: Messiah
Denis Villeneuve has been working non-stop for over 5-6 years developing the two Dune films. He has delivered two awe-inspiring sci-fi epics with the two films and people are giving him the respect and appreciation for his work on the films. He has almost finished writing Dune: Messiah but he reveals that he wants to work on other projects before tackling another mammoth Dune project.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Villeneuve stated that he wants to recover physically after making two large-scale films. While he will surely do Dune: Messiah and Cleopatra, he also wants to work on other passion projects in between including a secret project which he can’t talk about now. He said,
“It’s not that. I just finished Part Two very recently, and I went from Part One to Part Two without even an hour in between. I’m not complaining. I feel blessed to work, of course, but it’s just that I physically need to recover for a couple of weeks. It’s also about making sure that I have the right screenplay. I have four projects on the table, currently. One of them is a secret project that I cannot talk about right now, but that needs to see the light of day quite quickly. So it would be a good idea to do something in between projects, before tackling Dune Messiah and Cleopatra.”
His recent release Dune: Part Two is set to outgross the first film and repeat its awards domination next year. After such widespread praise of the film, it remains to be seen what Villeneuve works on next. Dune: Part Two is currently playing in theatres.
