Denis Villeneuve is ready to get to work on Dune Part 2, with plans to start filming the follow-up as early as 2022 if Warner Bros. gives it the greenlight.
IGN's Jim Vejvoda recently attended a roundtable interview with Villeneuve, in which the director expressed confidence in bringing Dune Part 2 to the screen "as soon as possible" if the project is given the approval it needs to move out of the starting blocks, though he stressed that he wouldn't compromise on quality in order to get Part 2 made quickly.
"I would be very ready to go quite quickly," Villeneuve confirmed before setting out plans for production. "To go quickly in a movie of that size, you still need to make sets, costumes, so we are talking about months. But if ever there's enthusiasm and the movie is greenlit sooner than later, I will say that I will be ready to shoot in 2022 for sure.
"I am ready to go, and I will say that I would love to bring it to the screen as soon as possible," he added about Part 2. "The first film, I really had time to make sure that it was exactly the way I wanted it to be. I would love to have the same feeling when I make the second part. That would be the priority. Quality will be the priority."
Villeneuve previously discussed his plans to split the first novel in Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi series into two movies, and then adapt Herbert's 1969 sequel novel Dune Messiah for a potential third movie. During the roundtable, the filmmaker teased the possible expansion of Dune's world for Part 2, now that the groundwork has been laid in the first installment.
"I will say, listen, the tough task here was to introduce you guys to the world, the audience to this world, to the codes, to the culture, the different families, the different planets," Villeneuve explained, touching on Dune's complex narrative. "Once this is done, it becomes an insane playground. It will allow me to go berserk."
Villeneuve called Part 1 an "appetizer," served to establish the story and increase anticipation for what could potentially follow in Part 2, which he referred to as the "main meal" that will add so much more to the proverbial plate. He said he felt "even more excited" at the prospect of getting to work on the sequel despite the first movie being his most personal project so far.
Although Part 2 hasn't been officially greenlit, Villeneuve has already expressed heaps of optimism for the second part of his Dune duology. He's also revealed that Zendaya's Chani would emerge as the female protagonist of the adaptation's next installment alongside Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides who would remain the central focus of the follow-up.
As it currently stands, however, Dune Part 1 is set to simultaneously release in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22. The movie had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, and the first reviews for the star-studded sci-fi epic have started to emerge. Read IGN's thoughts on Dune by clicking here.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.