Dune sequel set to release in 2023: 'This is only the beginning'


Dune fans can breathe a sigh of relief today. Director Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic won't go unfinished.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have confirmed that Dune, Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel, will get a second installment. Dune: Part Two is scheduled to hit theaters in October 2023.
"I just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with Dune: Part Two," Villeneuve said, per The Hollywood Reporter. "It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert's Dune and I have the fans, the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream. This is only the beginning."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dune fans had been anxious about whether this second movie would go forward. After all, even though the new film doesn't adapt the entire book and is even referred to on screen as Dune: Part One, a second part was not officially confirmed prior to its release, raising the possibility that viewers would never see Villeneuve finish adapting the story. Villeneuve's intention had been to adapt the book in two parts, but the films were not shot back-to-back like Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Luckily for fans, though, Dune had a solid debut at the box office, grossing $40.1 million domestically in its opening weekend. This was considered a fairly strong haul especially considering the movie could also be streamed on HBO Max. Unlike its predecessor, though, Dune: Part Two is reportedly set to be released exclusively in movie theaters.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purge
Cartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?
In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play