Prior to this announcement, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune had been the subject of some speculation regarding how Warner Bros. would measure the success of the film, whose budget was in the $165 million region. With a parallel HBO Max release potentially disrupting box office earnings, the studio was rumored to rely more heavily on streaming numbers to gauge interest in it, though that hasn’t stopped Dune from making millions all over the world.

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All of this might be the reason why Legendary Entertainment broke the news via a Twitter post that Dune: Part One is only the beginning of the franchise’s new cinematic chapter and Part Two has officially been given the green light. Although the tweet did not give out any further details, it’s all but confirmed that Part Two will stick with the same director seeing as Villeneuve has big plans for a Dune sequel. “We’re excited to continue the journey,” Legendary wrote in the post, which also thanked moviegoers who have experienced Dune: Part One already as well as those who will see it in the coming days and weeks.

At the time of writing Dune has recouped a healthy $223.2 million in box office revenue worldwide, which puts the film well on track to turn a profit for Warner Bros. However, most importantly, Villeneuve’s style has won over most critics and fans of Dune with a stunning visual masterpiece. With the likes of Christopher Nolan praising the new Dune adaptation, it’s no surprise the sequel has been approved.

Villeneuve is, of course, no stranger to making beautiful films such as Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, though the latter’s cult-like status has probably kept it away from the eyes of an audience as big as Dune’s. In any case, Dune: Part Two will be a relief for anyone who’s already watched part one and was left wondering what happens next on the planet of Arrakis.

While differences between book and film are always to be expected, Villeneuve’s Dune even starts off in a completely different way and cuts the story short at around what would be the 500-page mark for Herbert’s first novel. In any case, there will probably be plenty of time to catch up with Dune’s vast 30,000 years timeline until then.

Dune is currently available in theaters and on HBO Max.

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Source: Legendary | Twitter