It’s here. It’s finally here! Dune is out now in UK cinemas, meaning its time to don your stillsuit, do your finest sandwalk to your local cinema, and prepare to bask in the glow of Arrakis for almost three hours with the first part of Denis Villeneuve’s epic sci-fi adaptation. And we say ‘first part’ because Dune is actually Dune: Part One – leaving the plot at a tantalising point (no spoilers here) where the not-yet-confirmed Part Two would theoretically pick right up. If it’s a worrying thought that a second instalment might not be greenlit, there’s a promising update on the prospect from Warner CEO Ann Sarnoff over at Deadline.
Speaking about Villeneuve’s space behemoth, Sarnoff said: “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.” If that’s not an outright confirmation, it’s very far from a no – and the early international release of the film in certain territories has seen pretty strong box office returns. Now, we just have to hope that it wows UK and US audiences enough (across the pond it’s also streaming on HBO Max, which might impact its cinema receipts) to bump up that revenue, and allow the filmmaker and his sprawling cast to return to Arrakis for a second, sandworm-filled, Spice-shimmering trip.
Previously, Villeneuve has stated that he’d be “ready to go” for a 2022 shoot on Dune: Part Two as soon as he gets the go-ahead from the studio. To go quickly in a movie of that size you still need to make sets, costumes, so we are talking about months,” he said. “But if ever there's enthusiasm and the movie is greenlit sooner than later, I will say that I will be ready to shoot in 2022, for sure. I would love to because I am ready to go, and I will say that I would love to bring it to the screen as soon as possible.”
So, what are you waiting for? Get down to your local ‘plex, and Spice up your life.