Dune is out worldwide and it seems that this is possibly the biggest film we have gotten out this year and will get in terms of a sci-fi adventure. This is possibly the best adaptation we could expect from one of the biggest pieces of literature i.e. Frank Herbert’s Dune. There have been various attempts at making the movie and it seems those have all stood as a massive source of inspiration. Denis Villeneuve has been a fan of the literature for quite a long time and he has fulfilled his childhood dream of making a live-action adaptation. But this is not all as there is yet a lot to come for the movie. This might actually be the start of a whole new franchise that is going to have an impact that franchises based on adaptations have had in the past. Let’s take a look at Denis Villeneuve’s plans for the sequel and how Dune sets up Dune 2 and the Sisterhood spin-off series on HBO Max.
Dune
Dune is definitely one of the best movies we have gotten this year and it will obviously make an addition to the biggest pieces of cinema we have gotten this decade. The movie navigates through the narrative of Paul Atreides as played by Timothée Chalamet, as he comes to terms with his powers and his responsibilities. While we last see his house in absolute chaos as Baron Harkonnen, played by Stellan Skarsgaard, and his men take over Arrakis. The last thing we know from the movie is Paul has realized the demise of his father, Leto Atreides, played by Oscar Isaac, and has now been able to discover the Fremen people along with his mother. This leaves a lot to the expectations of the fans.
But that is not the end considering we are definitely going to get a sequel. The movie opened with the title followed by “Part 1″ which means there are other parts in plans and already at work. Readers of the book will remember that the narrative we have witnessed so far in the movie is only almost the first half of the book. Even though the movie didn’t actually follow up everything from the book and took a lot of creative liberty considering it’s only an adaptation.
How Dune Sets Up Dune 2
Villeneuve took the wise decision of the entire book into two parts considering it would be a lot of hours and there’s a lot of exposition that couldn’t be fed in this manner. The failure in doing so was clear from the previous adaptation that was 1984’s Dune directed by David Lynch. Villeneuve’s plan seems to have worked out considering it established the vast universe of Dune to the audience. While there was action involved, it seems that it will only be a hint of the action that we will get in the sequel. In an interview with Fandango, Denis Villeneuve talked about his plans for the sequel and how he will lay it out.
According to him:
I laid the base, the basics of the world – it’s done now. I don’t have to explain most of the world. So now I can just have fun with cinema. [laughs] That’s what I will say, is that I think if ever such a thing happens as a Part 2, it’s going to be a cinematic party. I mean, it’s not the right word. I apologize. I will say it is going to be a cinematic blast for me. I think that I could create something much more built into cinematic action and less talking.
It is no wonder that the first film was filled with conversation that gave us a clear idea regarding the intentions and the plans behind the world. We were introduced to the politics and the religious concepts involved in the vast world of the narrative. The action that we will get in the sequel will definitely depend on how Denis Villeneuve has decided to divide the books. Warner Bros. is yet to announce the sequel so that we can expect to see the project in a less number of years after the first film.
Dune Spinoff Show The Sisterhood
A sequel is not all that we can expect from the franchise considering that we are going to get a spinoff series from the movie. The series will be titled Dune: The Sisterhood and will be based on Bene Gesserit, which is the mysterious order of women who possess extraordinary abilities. Denis Villeneuve has already on board as the executive producer and will also be directing the pilot of the series. Warner Media had ordered for the series even before the movie had finished with its filming. In an interview with Variety, Villeneuve explored what we might get to see in the series. He was asked whether we will get to see Rebecca Ferguson or a younger version of Lady Jessica in the series and he chose not to answer that.
He said:
It’s a beautiful project, but it’s in development. And when things are in development, I have a tendency, I want to protect them because it’s in a fragile state.
The movie has already introduced us to the Bene Gesserit and the mystery surrounding them was one of the most essential parts of the narrative. It will be interesting to see how this series is explored and what we will get to see from the possible future franchise now. This series might be able to give us some answers regarding the mystery surrounding the character of Lady Jessica since it will also possibly answer some of the questions relating to the character of Paul Atreides.
We don’t know when we will get to see these two projects even though there have been serious developments regarding both. Denis Villeneuve initially planned to shoot both the parts together but the pandemic became a hurdle for the franchise and hence the sequel was postponed for later. Diena Ademu-John has been signed in as the showrunner for the spinoff series and this was announced back in July. Let’s hope we get to see something based on the world of Dune in 2022 because fans can’t be any more excited after watching the movie.
