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When Dune was first adapted for film back in 1984, director David Lynch delivered his take on the entirety of Frank Herbert’s original novel into one cinematic runtime. Denis Villeneuve opted to go a different route with his version of Dune, with the soon-to-arrive movie only covering the first half of the source material. As such, Dune 2 would chronicle the latter half, and while that hasn’t been officially greenlit yet, Javier Bardem is especially invested in a sequel being made.
Javier Bardem stars in Dune as Stilgar, the leader of Arrakis’ Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr, which is where Zendaya’s Chani also hails from. And like Zendaya, Bardem doesn’t have that much screen time in Dune, so he’s looking to rectify that in a sequel. As the actor told Deadline when asked about his experience on Denis Villeneuve’s latest movie:
It was fun. My role is short. Hopefully there is a second one! I hope my character will have more to tell in the story. Let’s see.
Zendaya expressed similar sentiments last year, saying how she “wasn’t in it very much,” though luckily for her, Denis Villeneuve has already confirmed that Chani will have a bigger role in the hypothetical Dune 2. Given the way the original Dune novel unfolded, it’s a good bet that Javier Bardem will also be given more screen time in the hypothetical Dune 2. I won’t share any spoilers, but there’s more ground to cover with Stilgar beyond what’s being adapted for this first Dune movie.
The question now is whether or not Dune 2 will actually happen. Again, officially speaking, a sequel isn’t in the cards right now, but Denis Villeneuve has said he’s “optimistic” that Warner Bros will move forward it. That thought is strengthened by the fact that at a special IMAX screening this past summer showing Dune’s first 10 minutes, the movie was labeled as Dune: Part One, indicating that WB is at least thinking about delivering a Part Two. Still, it’s likely the studio is waiting to see how Dune performs both in theaters and on HBO Max (you can sign up for the streaming service with this link) before deciding on the sequel one way or the other.
If Dune 2 does happen, Denis Villenueve has said that filming could begin by fall 2022. As such, it stands to reason the sequel wouldn’t be released until sometime in 2024, unless Warner Bros is really keen on rushing it for a late 2023 release. Villeneuve also revealed that he’s interesting in making a third Dune movie that would adapt 1969’s Dune Messiah, although he doesn’t see himself directing any more Dune projects beyond that. As things stand now, along with Dune’s forthcoming arrival, an HBO Max prequel series called Dune: The Sisterhood is in development.
Dune comes to both big and small screens (though it will only stay on HBO Max for 31 days) on October 22, and Javier Bardem and Zendaya are joined in the ensemble cast by Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista, among others. As soon as the fate of Dune 2 is officially decided, we’ll let you know.
