As if Dune: Part Two needed any more praise. Now, Denis Villeneuve’s newest sci-fi spice epic has the ringing endorsement from one of the most prolific directors in movie history. The run for the second part in the Frank Herbert novel adaptation has been a triumph, with many praising the sequel as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time; not only that, but it’s been consistently riding sandworms at the top of the box office, grossing over $500 million worldwide and counting.
World of Reel has revealed that one big fan of the sequel is none other than Steven Spielberg. Spielberg recently sat down and spoke with Denis Villeneuve for The Director’s Cut – A DGA Podcast, where he would have some of the highest praise that someone could ever offer a director. Some soundbites of Spielberg’s compliments for the Timothée Chalamet-starring film include, “It’s one of the most brilliant science fiction films I’ve ever seen […] That scene surfing the sandworm is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Ever […] The casting is absolutely remarkable […] This has some of the greatest fighting in it.”
Obviously, with the incredible reception that the movie is getting, the question of more sequels comes into play. Especially since Dune: Part Two ends on a note that sets up an even bigger story. Villeneuve mentioned in an interview with Empire that he will only make a third film if he’s sure it will be better than Part Two. Villeneuve states, “I did both movies back-to-back, which makes absolute sense for me. I felt that it was a good idea to move forward right after Part One. We were already designing, writing et cetera. But it also meant that for six years I was on Arrakis non-stop, and I think it will be healthy to step back a little bit. First, make sure that we have a strong screenplay. The thing I want to avoid is not having something ready. I never did it, and now I feel it could be dangerous because of the enthusiasm. We need to make sure all the ideas are on paper.“
Villeneuve added, “If we go back, it needs to be real, it needs to be relevant, if ever I do Dune Messiah, [it’s] because it’s going to be better than Part Two. Otherwise, I don’t do it.”