Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve has said he's not going to rush Dune 3.
The second installment in his take on Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi novel has yet to hit theaters, but it seems Villeneuve is already thinking about the future.
"There is absolutely a desire to have a third one, but I don't want to rush it," he told The Times. "The danger in Hollywood is that people get excited and only think about release dates, not quality."
A third movie would likely adapt Herbert's first sequel novel, which is titled Dune: Messiah. We won't go into more specific details here as it'd give the game away for Dune 2 – but there's plenty left to tell of Paul Atreides' story.
As for when we might see Dune 3, that remains to be seen. The first Dune film released back in 2021, and Dune 2 was intended for 2023 until the actors' strike delayed it to its 2024 date.
While there are still a few days before Dune: Part Two releases to the public, it's already causing a stir. It has glowing reviews and reactions, a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, and even high praise from Christopher Nolan, who compared it to The Empire Strikes Back (widely regarded as one of the best sequels of all time).
"It's a comparison that I would have never dared to do myself," Villeneuve told 12DOVE of Nolan's comments. "I think it's a beautiful compliment because Empire Strikes Back is by far my favourite Star Wars movie. So, it's like, coming from Chris, an incredible compliment."
Dune: Part Two arrives in theaters this March 1. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming major movie release dates for everything else the year has in store.
