Will There Be A ‘Dune Part 2’? What We Know About the ‘Dune’ Sequel

If you’ve had the chance to see Dune, which is now playing in theaters and on HBO Max, you know that Dune ending isn’t really an ending at all. After two hours and 35 minutes, you might expect some resolution, but instead, the film cuts off so abruptly you’re left with more questions than answers.

In fact, this is by design—the 2021 Dune movie, which is unofficially titled Dune: Part One, only covers the first half of the epic 1965 sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert. Director Denis Villeneuve had always planned to split his film adaptation into two parts, which is probably wise given that the novel is over 400 pages and is famously dense.

So, what’s the deal with Dune Part 2? Here’s what we know so far.

WILL THERE BE A DUNE 2?

Update, October 26, 2:50 p.m.: Yes! Dune Part 2 was officially greenlit by Warner Bros. on Tuesday afternoon. Huzzah!

Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich announced the news in a statement that read, “Denis Villeneuve has craft 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.”

Director Denis Villeneuve had always planned to make a Dune sequel, given that this film only covers the first half of the novel, but Warner Bros did not officially greenlight the film until after the first Dune opened in theaters.

But in an interview with Deadline, a Warner Bros. exec made it sound like the Dune sequel was basically confirmed. “Will we have a sequel to Dune? If you watch the movie you see how it ends. I think you pretty much know the answer to that,” said WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff in the interview.

At this point, it seems the only thing standing in the way of a Dune 2 is a box office bomb, which seems very unlikely given the opening weekend presales. Villeneuve said in a previous interview with Total Film that he was “very optimistic” about the chances of the studio greenlighting the sequel.

“The first thing was to prove that there was a beautiful, popular movie that can exist, and I think that I proved that – everybody at Warner Bros and Legendary, they are 100 percent behind the project,” Villeneuve said. “They feel that it would need a really bad outcome at the box office to not have a Dune: Part Two, because they love the movie. They are proud of the movie, so they want the movie to move forward. And they still did half of it. So, you know, I’m very optimistic.”

That said, the movie will also stream on HBO Max, which might be a factor in the box office.

There is also a Dune HBO Max spin-off series in the works, which will focus on the order of women known as the Bene Gesserit. Villeneuve will be an executive producer on the series and is set to direct the pilot episode.

WHEN WILL DUNE PART 2 COME OUT?

October 2023, according to the Warner Bros. statement that announced Dune Part 2. Two years might sound like a long wait, but you want those sandworms to look epic, don’t you?

This post has been updated with new information about Dune Part 2.

Watch Dune on HBO Max