Denis Villeneuve Wants To Take a “Detour” Before Finishing Dream ‘Dune’ Trilogy For the Sake of His “Mental Sanity”

Denis Villeneuve is an eminent Canadian director known for his works like Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Sicario, etc. His most notable work, which can also be called his magnum opus, is Dune. It is an epic science fiction story that is an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune franchise. Dune was a massive box office and critical success, and it won six Oscars at the 94th Academy Awards. 

Recently, Denis Villeneuve participated in a Dune: Part Two press conference in South Korea, where he said that he would take a detour before finishing up the third Dune movie to protect his “mental sanity.” He also opened up about Dune: Part Two and what the audience can expect from it. 

Denis Villeneuve wants to take a break from the Dune trilogy

Little time remains before Dune: Part Two takes to the silver screen and mesmerizes the audience again with its in-depth world-building and top-notch storytelling. Villeneuve already told Empire magazine that he does not want the story of Arrakis to end with the second movie and is eyeing up a third one if this one does well. He told the magazine previously:

“If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream.”

Also Read: Dune 2: Every New Character That Must Be Introduced In The New Movie

However, there can be a possible gap between the two movies. While speaking to the South Korean Press (via. Variety), Denis Villeneuve opened up and said that he did not get any breaks between Dune: Part One and Part Two since the movies were produced back to back with no time in between. However, since the existence of a third movie hinges on the success of the second one, he wants to take a break and take his time to make Dune: Messiah. 

“I don’t know exactly when I will go back to Arrakis. I might make a detour before just to go away from the sun. For my mental sanity I might do something in between, but my dream would be to go a last time on this planet that I love.”

Also Read: “Not surprised, but disappointed”: Dune: Part Two Gets Disheartening Update as Fans Turn on Hollywood Strikes

It is quite understandable that the director would want to take a break from the series due to how taxing the whole production of Dune is. However, he also gave some interesting news about Dune: Part Two during the conference. 

“This film is much better than Part One:” Denis Villeneuve opens up about Dune: Part Two

Dune Part Two may have been delayed for more than six months at this point, but director Denis Villeneuve promises that it will be worth the wait. In a recent interview with Total Film Magazine (via. GamesRadar), he described Dune Part Two as  “more of an action movie” and “more muscular” than its 2021 counterpart.

“The first movie was more meditative and contemplative. We were following a young man discovering a new planet, a new culture. The second movie… it’s more of an action film than the first part. It’s more muscular.”

Also Read: Dune: Paul’s Visions In Movies Were Inspired By Denis Villeneuve’s Own Experience With Drugs

Timothée Chalamet will be back for Dune: Part Two alongside a star-studded cast that includes Zendaya, Javier Bardem, and Rebecca Ferguson. Some new faces would also appear beside them, including Léa Seydoux, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, and Austin Butler as the villainous Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. 

Dune: Part Two will be released on March 1, 2024. It was originally set to be released on November 3, 2023. However, due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the dates were pushed to March 15, 2024, to give the actors some time to promote the film. However, Dune: Part Two has now bumped its release date two weeks earlier to March 1, 2024.