Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve is no stranger to adaptations, but he doesn’t want to play in anyone else’s sandbox again.
During a new interview with THR, Villeneuve revealed he has a few projects in development, but don’t expect another Blade Runner 2049 situation.
The filmmaker notes, “I have four projects on the table currently. One of them is a secret project that I cannot talk about right now but that needs to see the light of day quite quickly. So, it would be a good idea to do something in between projects before tackling Dune Messiah and Cleopatra. All these projects are still being written, so we’ll see where they go, but I have no control over that.”
When speaking about franchise filmmaking, he opens up about not wanting to return to that and stick with his universes: “Blade Runner is one of my favorite films and a masterpiece. Ridley Scott is one of my favorite filmmakers, and even though he had given his blessing, it was very important for me to hear it and see it in his eyes that he was OK with me doing the movie at the time. But I was constantly thinking about the original film as I was making Blade Runner 2049. It was impossible not to. 2049 was really a love letter to the first film, but it was by far one of the most difficult projects I’ve ever done, and I don’t think I will ever approach someone else’s universe again.”
SEE ALSO: Read our ★★★★★ Dune: Part Two review
“I still wake up sometimes at night, saying, ‘Why did I do that?’ I’d declined a few other projects of that scale, but at the time, I said to myself, ‘It’s a crazy project, but it’s worth the risk of losing everything.'”
Villeneuve is currently promoting Dune: Part Two, which opened up as the #1 film in the world.
Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
Featuring in the cast of Dune: Part Two are Timothée Chalamet (Wonka), Zendaya (Euphoria), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Josh Brolin (Milk), Austin Butler (Elvis), Florence Pugh (Black Widow), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), Léa Seydoux (Crimes of the Future), Stellan Skarsgård (Mamma Mia), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Last Night in Soho).