Dune Fans Rejoice! A Sequel Film Is Officially in the Works, and It's Coming in 2023

It's official: Dune will be getting a sequel. Following the release of the film on 22 Oct., Legendary Pictures confirmed that part two is officially in the works on Tuesday. "This is only the beginning...," Legendary wrote on Twitter. "Thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead. We're excited to continue the journey!"

Seeing that the film is based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name, rumours of a sequel have been rumbling for a while now. In fact, the film is technically only an adaptation of the first half of the science fiction novel which, itself, has multiple sequels and spinoffs. The title of the film was even changed to reflect that. According to Inverse, viewers who saw an early IMAX screening of the first 10 minutes of the movie claimed that the onscreen title card reads Dune: Part One.

Director and writer Denis Villeneuve confirmed the news to ScreenRant, having previously admitted to already working on the Dune: Part Two script. "For me, Dune [Part One] is like an appetiser. Dune Part Two is the main meal," he explained.

Clocking in at over 400 pages, the original novel is both dense and lengthy, so it makes total sense to split the movie into two parts. There already seem to be some big plans for the larger Dune universe, too, since HBO Max ordered Dune: The Sisterhood, a prequel series that, according to Deadline, "explores the [Dune] universe through the eyes of a mysterious order of women: the Bene Gesserit." Diane Ademu-John, executive producer of The Haunting of Bly Manor, will serve as showrunner.

Fans of the series can watch the first half of Dune in cinemas now. Part two of the film is set for a 2023 release, with an official release date of 23 Oct.