Warner Bros. Chairman Toby Emmerich said the studio will release Dune: Part II in October 2023. This time, the release is expected to be exclusively in theaters. Arguing that Dune belonged to the big screen, Villeneuve had protested passionately when Warner Bros. turned to hybrid releases for all of its 2021 films due to the pandemic.

But Villeneuve had lobbied hard for a sequel to Dune, which he has said is easily the best movie he’s made. It stars Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa and Zendaya. Some actors, like Zendaya, would potentially have a larger role in part two.

Recently, filmmaker Christopher Nolan had showered praise on Dune and said, “It’s one of the most seamless marriages of live-action photography and computer-generated visual effects that I’ve seen. It’s very, very compelling at every turn. I think this film is going to introduce a whole new generation of fans to Dune who have never read the book and perhaps will go and read it now. I think it’s an extraordinary piece of work. I’ve had the luxury of seeing it a couple of times now, and each time I watch it I discover new things, new details to the world. The way in which it’s made is absolutely for the big screen. It’s a real pleasure and a real gift to film fans everywhere — and thank you very much for that, Denis.”

Clearly, Dune director is not the only one who thinks it is his best piece of work till date.

Over the weekend, Dune launched with a solid $40.1 million in ticket sales in US and Canada theaters. Dune, a 155-minute $165-million movie that introduces itself as Part 1, has thus far grossed $225 million worldwide.