When folks go to theaters or HBO Max to watch “Dune” next month, they’re only watching half of a story. Though the film is simply titled “Dune” in all the marketing materials, Denis Villeneuve is not hiding the fact that the film is really “Dune: Part One,” including that title in the actual film itself. The hope being that Warner Bros. will allow him to finish the story with a second film in the future. In fact, as Villeneuve recently explained, his original plan was to shoot both parts back-to-back.
Speaking to Variety, Denis Villeneuve talked about his plan to film both parts of “Dune” before releasing the first film. Unfortunately, for unspecified reasons (though the cost of that sort of endeavor is likely the top culprit), WB didn’t like that plan.
“I wanted at the beginning to do the two parts simultaneously,” Villeneuve said. “For several reasons, it didn’t happen, and I agreed to the challenge of making part one and then wait to see if the movie rings enough enthusiasm.”
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He added, “As I was doing the first part, I really put all my passion into it, in case it would be the only one. But I’m optimistic.”
Previously, the filmmaker has said that “Dune” would have to do “really badly” for a ‘Part Two’ to not be made. That said, until filming on the sequel begins, it’s all up to Warner Bros. to decide if it makes sense for a second feature. Fans of the original novel would be heartbroken if the second feature doesn’t get made, but half of a story is better than none of it, right?
Another project, whose fate seemingly hangs in the balance, is the proposed HBO Max spinoff series, “Dune: The Sisterhood,” which focuses on the mysterious, powerful Bene Gesserit group of women. However, considering Villeneuve is still worried about the first “Dune” film, he’s not ready to spill the beans on the spinoff just yet.
“It’s a beautiful project, but it’s in development,” he said. “And when things are in development, I have a tendency, I want to protect them because it’s in a fragile state.”
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Those who know Frank Herbert’s original “Dune” novel know how the second film that Villeneuve wants to make will play out. It’s poised to be a much more epic story than the somewhat smaller-scale ‘Part One.’ And that’s something the filmmaker is really excited about…if it happens.
“If such a thing as ‘Dune: Part Two’ happens, I will say that it’s going to be an insane playground for me,” Villeneuve said. “It’s going to be just like pure cinematic pleasure for the second part. I don’t want to speak for everybody on the team, but I will say that we really created on this movie a feeling of family and to re-unify everybody again together, that would be paradise.”
“Dune: Part One” arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22.