Is Dune poised to be the next big Sci-Fi?

    Dune started as a science fiction book way back in 1965. Today it has the possibility to become one of the biggest, and in my opinion, most successful sci-fi franchises of all time. Now in full honesty, that’s not a very high bar to reach. Star Wars has seemingly begun to fall off, Avatar only releases a movie once every eleven years and no one watches Star Trek anymore. It’s an open playing field and Dune has come in at just the right time. 

    The last Dune movie came out in 2021 and grossed over $400 million at the worldwide box office. On top of that, it went on to win six Oscars including best score and best VFX. With a Part 2 coming out on March 1, the movie’s promotional team has been going all out. Actress Zendaya who plays Chani in the franchise, has been doing numerous interviews along with her costars. Denis Villeneuve has been open about wanting to make a third Dune movie after Part 2 comes out, and he seems to have everyone’s support in it. 

    “Anytime Denis calls it’s a yes from me, at least,” Zendaya said in an interview with Fandango. She also talked about reading ahead - she had been reading Dune: Messiah which most likely will be the third movie in the trilogy. “There’s no better hands with better care than [Villeneuve],” she says. If Villeneuve can have a star like Zendaya on his side for making a third Dune movie, it’s going to be hard for Warner Brothers to say no to that. 

    Villeneuve has also been on record saying that he only wants to do three Dune movies, so who knows where that leaves the franchise once he’s done with it. However, with a series like this and what I imagine Villeneuve’s vision is, someone will be jumping at the opportunity to take the reins. 

    Dune: Part 2 is far and away my most anticipated movie of the year, and I don’t think that I am alone in that. This movie has already been delayed twice and fans are itching to see it again on the big screen. In what I think is a genius movie, they are letting fans see the sequel five days before its March 1 release date. Many of these showings are sold out, or very close to it and I think fans will have the experience of a lifetime seeing it in IMAX. 

    Critically acclaimed director, Christopher Nolan, has supposedly seen Dune: Part 2 and has said it’s jaw dropping. I’m not sure that you need a better endorsement than that one right there. Nolan has been a huge advocate for seeing movies on the biggest screen possible. He is even promoting Dune: Part 2 by, as he put it, warming up the projectors, by rereleasing his 2020 movie Tenet in 70mm IMAX formatting. 

    It’s hard to see hype for this franchise dying down anytime soon, and I am here for it. There are a total of six Dune books in the series so there is no shortage of where this could go. As long as the movies stay faithful to the source material and continue to have amazing VFX, scores, and action, the Dune franchise will be here to stay. 

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