Denis Villeneuve is officially returning to Arakis.
The filmmaker’s dream of completing his two-part Dune series is becoming a reality, with Legendary and Warner Bros. on Tuesday announcing they are moving ahead with a sequel that will hit theaters Oct. 20, 2023.
The first Dune opened in cinemas and hit HBO Max simultaneously on Oct. 22. It earned a strong $40.1 million in its domestic debut, the biggest of Villeneuve’s career as well as the biggest opening of the year for Warner Bros., which sent its entire 2021 slate day-and-date to streaming. Whether or not to make a sequel was Legendary’s call.
“I just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with Dune: Part Two,” Villeneuve said in a statement. “It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune and I have the fans, the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream. This is only the beginning.”
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The first Dune starred Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, and featured a sprawling cast that included Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Zendaya. But it only told the first part of Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 sci-fi novel of the same name.
Globally, the movie has earned north of $223 million to date (it began rolling out first overseas earlier this month). Dune cost a hefty $165 million to make before marketing. Legendary produced the film and put up 80 percent of its budget. Warners put up the rest.
“Legendary is pleased to officially move forward with Dune: Part Two … once again based on the amazing books written by Frank Herbert,” Legendary said in a statement. “We would not have gotten to this point without the extraordinary vision of Denis and the amazing work of his talented crew, the writers, our stellar cast, our partners at Warner Bros., and of course the fans! Here’s to more Dune.”
Added Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group: “Denis Villeneuve has crafted a film that is both visually extraordinary and emotionally transporting, as evidenced by its global success both critically and at the box office. We are thrilled to continue on this journey with Denis and his cast and crew, and our partners at Legendary, and can’t wait to bring the next chapter of this epic tale to theaters in October 2023.”
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
