Audiences will officially be able to return to Arakis in 2023, with Legendary and Warner Bros. announcing Tuesday that Dune: Part Two has officially been greenlit. The sequel is set to hit theaters—and, with apologies to HBO Max, only theaters—on Oct. 20, 2023. “It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune,” Denis Villeneuve, who helmed Part One and will be returning for the second installment, said in a statement, “and I have the fans, the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream. This is only the beginning.”
Adapted from the first book in Herbert’s sprawling 1965 series, Dune was long thought to be “unfilmable.” A 1984 film adaptation was a box-office bomb, while a 2000 television miniseries based on the sci-fi novel was better received but quickly faded from the spotlight. Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One debuted to strong reviews and opening weekend box office numbers, pulling in $40.1 million despite a hybrid release. The movie had grossed a global total of $220 million as of Sunday, more than enough impetus for the studios to set a date to return to the Duniverse.
