'Dune' sequel gets the greenlight from Legendary, Warner Bros.

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By Tariq Malik
published

It lands in theaters on Oct. 20, 2023.

Director Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" officially has a sequel. 

On Tuesday (Oct. 26), Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. officially announced plans to release "Dune: Part Two" on Oct. 20, 2023 to complete the iconic sci-fi tale kicked off by Villeneuve's "Dune" last week.

"This is only the beginning," Legendary wrote in an announcement 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!" 

If you haven't seen the film yet, you can check out our guide on how to stream Dune online if you're hoping to avoid the theaters. The first film is available on HBO Max for a limited time.

"Dune: Part Two" will land in theaters on Oct. 20, 2023.

"Dune: Part Two" will land in theaters on Oct. 20, 2023. (Image credit: Legendary Pictures)

Villenueve's 2021 version of "Dune" revisits the classic science fiction book by the late Frank Herbert about the young Duke Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) of House Atreides on the desert planet Arrakis, where he battles his family's archrivals for control of the planet and its rich spice, a critical resource for the universe. The new film covers only half of Herbert's book, unlike it's predecessor directed by David Lynch in 1984. Villenueve was confident enough to add "Part One" in his film but its sequel wasn't a done deal until Tuesday's announcement.

The Hollywood Reporter reported on the release date for "Dune: Part Two," along with a statement from the director.

"I just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with Dune: Part Two," Villenueve said in the statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert's Dune and I have the fans, the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream. This is only the beginning."

The new "Dune" film opened simultaneously in theaters and on the streaming service HBO Max, earning $40.1 million in its opening weekend, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.