Dune: Part Two, the second half of director Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel Dune, has a release date of November 3rd – and in this build-up to the film’s release, we’ve previously only heard that Villeneuve wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts, who he also collaborated with on the script for Dune: Part One. (Their Part One co-writer Eric Roth decided not to work on the follow-up.) Now, The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin has revealed that he was also a “participating writer” on Dune: Part Two!
Speaking with The Playlist, Mazin said that he’s basically out of the movie business, because he’s focusing on The Last of Us and his other TV work. But “I will work with certain directors when they call because I love them and because they’re so brilliant. So if, like, Denis Villeneuve calls, then absolutely. I’m there for, three-four weeks, a month, to work on what you’re working on.” He went on to confirm, “I am a participating writer in Dune: Part Two. I came long after (Villeneuve and Spaihts wrote the initial script)… You come in and do a little bit of work… It used to be that you couldn’t even say that, but now (the Writers Guild has) this additional ‘Literary material’ thing at the end, so I am ‘Additional Literary Material.‘”
So we shouldn’t expect to see Mazin receive screenplay credit on the finished film, but he did contribute to it. And he says people should be hyped to see it, because “anytime Denis makes a movie, you should be excited.“
Scripted by Villeneuve, Eric Roth, and Jon Spaihts, Dune: Part One (watch or buy it HERE) stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, “a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding” who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence – a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential – only those who can conquer their fear will survive. Coming to us from Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment, 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.
Chalamet is joined in the cast by fellow returning Dune: Part One cast members Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Josh Brolin, as well as new additions Austin Butler, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, Souheila Yacoub, and Léa Seydoux.
Villeneuve is producing the film with Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe, and Patrick McCormick. Spaihts serves as executive producer alongside Josh Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Thomas Tull, Richard P. Rubinstein, and John Harrison. Kevin J. Anderson is creative consultant.
Are you excited for Dune: Part Two, and are you glad to hear that Craig Mazin worked on the script? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.