'Dune: Part Two' gets greenlit by Warner Bros
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The first 'Dune' opened in cinemas and hit HBO Max simultaneously. It earned a strong $40.1 million in the US and, the biggest opening of the year for Warner Bros.
Looks like filmmaker Denis Villeneuve's dream of completing a two-part series on 'Dune' is getting fulfilled.
Legendary and Warner Bros on Tuesday announced that they were moving ahead with the sequel of the sci-fi which was released in theatres on October 22.
The first 'Dune' opened in cinemas and hit HBO Max simultaneously. It earned a strong $40.1 million in the US and, the biggest opening of the year for Warner Bros. Rumours of an impending sequel started doing the rounds almost immediately after the first part release and due to the encouraging numbers. It was just a matter of time before the studio announced the sequel.
The movie, which cost an estimated $165 million to produce, also did well overseas and has taken in almost $225 globally at the box office.
Warner Bros. 'Dune' leaked online in HD quality on piracy sites
Villeneuve has always said that he envisaged a second movie but Warner Bros. had not committed to the project before Tuesday.
Warner Bros. said that 'Dune: Part Two' will be released exclusively in movie theatres. The first movie was released simultaneously in theaters and on streaming service HBO Max.
Villeneuve has been adamant that the two and a half hour movie, which has been praised for its stunning visuals, should be seen on the big screen rather than at home.
'Dune' featured a star-studded cast including Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya and Jason Momoa. Casting for the second part has not been announced.
The film was the latest attempt to turn Frank Herbert`s 1955 400 page science fiction novel of the same name into a hit on the silver screen.
Set in a future where noble families rule planetary fiefs, the story follows Paul Atreides (Chalamet), whose father takes on the stewardship of planet Arrakis, known as Dune to its native Fremen people and contested for its unique spice commodity found in its inhospitable desert.
Villeneuve's 'Dune' follows Alejandro Jodorowsky's unsuccessful attempt in the mid-1970s and David Lynch's critically-panned 1984 version.