Denis Villeneuve always knew that Dune needed to be told over two movies. The director envisioned Part One as establishing the world, characters and sprawling mythology of author Frank Herbert's dense science fiction saga. Now, "Part Two is where the fun begins," Villeneuve attests.

"The second part of the story is definitely more cinematic, so there's numbers of scenes that I can't wait to attack," Villeneuve teases to A.frame. "That's my favorite part of the book, so it's going to be a lot of fun – and I'm deeply inspired."

Villeneuve is currently in the process of prepping Dune: Part Two, which is set to film later this year with a release date of Oct. 20, 2023. The second half of the story should include more of Paul's ascension to Kwisatz Haderach, more conflict with the Harkonnen, more Bene Gesserit business and, of course, more sandworms.

"It's different, because it's like going back to a country where I know the language," he explains. "I'm working mostly with the same crew, so it is going back to revisit old friends. Thank God the first part was a nice experience, so I don't have to convince anyone to come back. Everybody is coming back with a big smile."

"What will be interesting is how to make sure we don't repeat ourselves," Villeneuve adds, "that we find a new way to approach this planet."

Part II will see the return of Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides and Rebecca Ferguson's Lady Jessica, who have joined the Fremen people, led by Javier Bardem's Stilgar. After only shooting for one week for Dune, Zendaya's screen time will increase greatly as her character Chani plays a larger role in the sequel’s storyline.  

"I had so much fun working with her [on Part One] that I decided to add more days and started to improvise things with her," Villeneuve says of the actress. "I think she's really a mesmerizing and really magnetic presence on camera. All of my cast were deeply committed and enjoyable and nice people. I had a huge cast and we were all waiting for the person that would be… how can I say [it]? The asshole in the group. But – it didn't happen!"

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