Dune: Part Two Officially Greenlit

By Russ Burlingame

Legendary Pictures has officially greenlit a second movie based on Frank Herbert's Dune, following on the heels of a $40 million opening weekend for the first Dune film, which ended with a cliffhanger leading into a second installment which, at that particular moment, had not been officially announced. Now it has, with nothing but a logo and a title -- Dune Part Two -- announced via Legendary Pictures' Twitter account. Legendary will presumably reteam with Warner on the sequel, despite the two having numerous conflicts surrounding this movie's budget, release, and the decision to take Dune and other WB/Legendary movies to HBO Max day and date.

The second movie is set to center on Chani, the character played by Zendaya in the film. Her line in the film, "This is only the beginning," not only teed up the sequel but served as a tagline for the movie itself, and has recurred throughout the cast and crew's media tour when they were asked about a potential sequel.

"I just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with Dune: Part Two," director Denis 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."

You can see their tweet below.

"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," said Warner Bros. chief Toby Emmerich. "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."

The first Dune's official synopsis reads, "A mythic and emotionally charged hero's journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive."

The cast includes Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgard as Baron Harkonnen, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Zendaya as Chani, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam.

Dune: Part Two will be in theaters in October 2023.

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