A second Dune movie will be released in October 2023, Warner Bros said this week.
The first part of the sci-fi epic, directed by Denis Villeneuve and one of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2021, has taken almost $225m (about R3,4bn) at the global box office since it opened last week. It cost an estimated $165m (about R2,5bn) to produce.
Villeneuve has always said he envisaged a second movie, but Warner Bros had not committed to the project before Tuesday.
It said Dune: Part Two will be released exclusively in cinemas. The first film was released simultaneously in theatres and on streaming service HBO Max.
Villeneuve has been adamant the two-and-a-half-hour movie, which has been praised for its stunning visuals, should be seen on the big screen rather than at home.
Dune features a star-studded cast, including Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya and Jason Momoa. Casting for the second film has not been announced.
The movie is the latest attempt to turn Frank Herbert’s science-fiction novel of the same name into a hit on the silver screen.
Set in a future where noble families rule planetary fiefs, the story follows Paul Atreides (Chalamet), whose father takes on the stewardship of planet Arrakis, known as Dune to its native Fremen people and contested for a unique spice commodity found in its inhospitable desert.
Villeneuve’s Dune follows Alejandro Jodorowsky’s unsuccessful attempt in the mid 1970s and David Lynch’s critically panned 1984 version.
— Reuters
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