Dune 2 Director Denis Villeneuve Teams Up with Legendary for Nuclear War: A Scenario Adaptation

Legendary Entertainment has plans to collaborate once again with Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve for Annie Jacobsen’s nonfiction book, Nuclear War: A Scenario. The book recently made its way onto the New York Times bestseller lists. Jacobsen’s book goes into the hypothetical aftermath of a nuclear conflict, drawing on insights from military and civilian experts involved in weapon development and emergency response planning.

Per Deadline, the $500,000 against $1.5 million agreement comes after the critical and commercial success of Oppenheimer, a film that chronicled the race to develop the atomic bomb during World War II. Villeneuve is expected to take on “Nuclear War: A Scenario” as another significant project. The film is anticipated to be a stark warning about the potential consequences of escalating nuclear tensions in a politically unstable world.

Villeneuve’s involvement in “Nuclear War” would mark another collaboration with his longtime partner, Tanya Lapointe, with whom he has produced several projects. The adaptation is expected to explore themes similar to those in Oppenheimer, focusing on the ethical dilemmas and existential threats posed by nuclear weapons.

This news follows the success of Dune: Part Two, which has grossed over $637 million globally, making it the highest-grossing film of the year so far. Legendary Entertainment, under the leadership of principals Josh Grode and Mary Parent, continues to invest in blockbuster projects, as evidenced by the recent release of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The film, part of Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise, opened to a worldwide gross of $251 million in its first week.

Watch Dune: Part Two Trailer below:

Dune 3 Gets the Greenlight with Denis Villeneuve Closing the Dune Trilogy

Legendary Entertainment has officially greenlit Dune 3, also known as Dune: Messiah, marking the conclusion of the acclaimed Dune trilogy. While specific details regarding Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s third novel in the series remain under wraps, the film is expected to continue the epic saga of Paul Atreides.

Although Villeneuve might prefer to delay Dune 3, given the financial and critical achievements of Dune: Part Two, the studio is probably eager for his swift return to Arrakis. However, the director believes he requires a hiatus after spending six years immersed in the relentless desert landscape, stating,

“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.”

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Dune: 8 Key Characters Who Were Cut From the Movies

Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune is pretty faithful to the book, though a handful of characters were left out.

In Dune: Messiah, the story picks up with Paul Atreides, now feared as Muad’Dib, wielding unprecedented power as Emperor of the Known Universe. Revered as a religious icon by the fervent Fremen, Paul grapples with the hostility from political houses he displaced upon ascending to the throne. Amidst the internal strife and external conspiracies threatening his reign, the greatest danger to Paul emerges from within his own circle, as his beloved Chani and their unborn heir become targets in the ongoing power struggle.