“This is only the beginning,” promised Chani, Zendaya’s character at the end of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. Fans that are anticipating a trip back to Arrakis will be pleased to learn that the follow-up, Dune: Part Two, moved its release date up a couple of weeks earlier in 2023, per THR.
In the wake of Disney putting their Blade film’s pre-production on a momentary pause, Warner Bros. struck fast and announced that Dune: Part Two will slide into the spot formerly held by Blade on November 3, 2023. Dune: Part Two was originally slated to release two weeks later on November 17, 2023.
The first Dune film premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year and grossed over $401 million worldwide including $108 million domestically despite being a part of HBO Max’s day-and-date release slate, per Box Office Mojo. With an 83% approval rating from critics and an even higher approval rating of 90% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s fair to call Dune a critical success as well. The film also garnered 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and took home six of those awards including Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score for the legendary Hans Zimmer.
Dune: Part Two is the sequel to 2021’s Dune, which adapted the first half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi classic novel. The sequel will see Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) continue to step up to the plate in wake of his father's death and team up with the Fremen.
Dune: Part Two is a Legendary Pictures production and distributed by Warner Bros., Dune: Part Two was penned by the team of Jon Spaihts, Eric Roth and Villeneuve and will see returning cast members Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem alongside some new cast members including the likes of Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Léa Seydoux and Christopher Walken. The sequel will also keep much of the band together by retaining cinematographer Greig Fraser, editor Joe Walker and composer Zimmer.
Only time will tell if Dune: Part Two is able to capture the same magic that Villeneuve’s first installment did, critically, financially and in awards season, but we’ll now get a better idea two weeks sooner.
Dune: Part Two will be released in theaters on November 3, 2023. Check out our interview with stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya below: