Denis Villeneuve pulled off an astonishing coup de cinema with the release of Dune: Part One in the midst of the pandemic in 2021. First published in 1965, Frank Herbert’s dense sci-fi novel had earned the reputation of being unfilmable, previously defeating both cult director Alejandro Jodorowsky (whose projected 1970s adaptation never got off the ground) and David Lynch (whose 1984 version flopped). Yet back in 2021, Villeneuve’s gamble seemed greater still.
He was only telling half the story — with no guarantee that he would get to complete it. Only if Part One turned out a success would studio Warner Bros. guarantee to greenlit a sequel.
