Warner Bros greenlights Dune sequel; film likely to have theatres-only release in 2023

Dune isn’t done.

Legendary Entertainment announced Tuesday that Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, which adapts the first half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 science-fiction epic, will get a sequel. Whether that would be the case had been an unanswered question throughout the film’s release, which was delayed a year by the pandemic and ultimately debuted both in theatres and on HBO Max.

Warner Bros. Chairman Toby Emmerich said the studio will release Dune: Part II in October 2023. This time, the release is expected to be exclusively in theatres. Arguing that Dune belonged to the big screen, Villeneuve had protested passionately when Warner Bros. turned to hybrid releases for all of its 2021 films due to the pandemic.

But Villeneuve had lobbied hard for a sequel to Dune, which he has said is easily the best movie he’s made. It stars Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa and Zendaya. Some actors, like Zendaya, would potentially have a larger role in part two.

“This is only the beginning,” said Villeneuve in a statement.

Over the weekend, Dune launched with a solid $40.1 million in ticket sales in US and Canada theatres. Dune, a 155-minute $165-million movie that introduces itself as Part 1, has thus far grossed $225 million worldwide.