Having grossed nearly $375 million at the worldwide box office ($362 million so far), Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” appears to be a big success, even though it apparently needs to hit the $500 million mark to break even. Ah, movie math. Regardless, the movie looks like it will quickly clear the $434.8 million earnings of the original film and set the stage for part three, known as “Dune: Messiah.”
And while we wait for word from Legendary and Warner Bros. greenlighting the movie, the French-Canadian filmmaker is already talking passionately about reuniting with actresses Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor-Joy in the next installment of the sci-fi fantasy franchise; the latter only briefly seen in the sequel during a cameo. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Villeneuve said the potential of working with Pugh and Taylor-Joy again for “Dune Messiah” is a driving force in his inspiration to direct a third film.
“I love her,” Villeneuve said of actress Taylor-Joy. “I would love to make ‘Dune Messiah’ just to work with her and Florence more. Those actresses are so inspiring. They give me chills and the will to do another one.”
“I was deeply happy with the fact that Anya accepted this challenge of playing a ghost and a secret,” Villeneuve told Entertainment Weekly. “I cannot believe that we kept the secret that long. It required so much work to keep that secret. Everybody signed with their blood.”
This is exciting to hear, as the filmmaker in “Dune: Part Two” already gave Zendaya and Rebecca Ferguson much more meaningful parts with their second go-around. Hopefully, this is the same case for the newest additions, given that Pugh will play Paul Atreides’ wife Irulan, and Taylor-Joy is expected to return as Paul’s full-grown sister Alia in that third movie (aging is very much influx in this universe).
In the David Lynch version of “Dune,” the role of Alia was played by a young Alicia Witt, which might have confused some fans, expecting Alia to appear outside of Paul’s dreams as a weird child with Bene Gesserit powers from the jump. But Villeneuve explains why they kept Alia a fetus, who would communicate with Paul via Lady Jessica.
“I thought this was really fresh and original to have a character who is pregnant and still a powerful woman, a central figure of the story,” he explained. “I don’t remember having seen that, especially in a sci-fi movie, and it gave me the opportunity to develop ideas that were in the book. Having her talk to her fetus was a way to illustrate the power of the Water of Life, this substance that gives you access to the past lives of previous Reverend Mothers. It was a way to more precisely express how Alia becomes this abomination.”
Villeneuve continued to explain his reasoning: “When we had this idea, it was like an epiphany for me. It was one of the final bricks of the screenplay. I don’t know how the fans will react because it’s a strong curve that we took, but I felt that it was very close to the spirit of the book. I’m very happy with this idea.”
Without a green light, we’ll have to wait for the studio to give us a more concrete word that things are progressing. That said, Villeneuve has already suggested he may take a long break from the world of Arrakis, and if Legendary already knows this, maybe they’ll refrain from any early announcements; time will tell.