Dune: Part Two ($635 Million Worldwide)

With Dune: Part One in the home stretch of its award-season campaign, Warner Bros and Legendary’s Dune: Part Two is ramping up its pre-production efforts, with sources telling Deadline that Florence Pugh is in negotiations to join the cast. While not confirmed, sources say she will play Princess Irulan Corrino, the eldest daughter to Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. She would join returning cast members that include Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Josh Brolin, with director, producer and co-screenwriter Denis Villeneuve also returning.

Legendary had no comment. Production on the film is expected to start in the fall, with the film set to bow on October 20, 2023.

Even with Dune: Part One going day-and-date on HBO Max, the film was still able to thrive in theaters with an opening weekend of $41 million, which exceeded expectations and led to a quick greenlight for a sequel weeks later. The film has grossed $400 million at the worldwide box office to date including $108 million domestically. It also recently racked up nine Oscar nominations including for Best Picture.

As for Pugh, the Oscar-nominated actress is coming off a big year that included her introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Black Widow, where she played Natasha Romanoff’s sister, Yelena. She would reprise the role of Yelena in Marvel’s Hawkeye series and the character has quickly become a favorite among MCU fans.

She is currently filming Christopher Nolan’s anticipated Oppenheimer, which also stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr., and recently finished the Netflix pic The Wonder.

‘Dune: Part Two’: Austin Butler Eyed To Play Feyd-Rautha

EXCLUSIVE: Elvis star Austin Butler is in negotiations to play Feyd-Rautha in Warner Bros and Legendary’s Dune: Part Two. Florence Pugh is also in negotiations to join the all-star ensemble with Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Josh Brolin expected to reprise their roles. Director, producer and co-screenwriter Denis Villeneuve is also returning.

Legendary had no comment. Production on the film is expected to start in the fall, with the film set to bow on October 20, 2023.

Famously played by Sting in the 1984 David Lynch film, Rautha is a favorite among fans of the Frank Herbert novel and is expected to play a big role in Part Two. In the novel, he is the younger nephew and heir of the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and is depicted to be as similarly cruel, treacherous and cunning as his uncle.

After breaking out in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Tex, Butler has become one of the more sought after rising stars in town. He was tapped by Baz Luhrmann in the titular role in Elvis which will bow later this year and also stars Tom Hanks. He also has one of the lead roles in the Band of Brothers series Masters of Air for Apple.

Denis Villeneuve is adding another high-profile talent to an already-loaded cast as sources tell Deadline Christopher Walken is set to play the Emperor Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Dune Part Two. Walken joins the all-star ensemble with Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Josh Brolin expected to reprise their roles as well Florence Pugh and Austin Butler, who were also recently announced. Villeneuve is back to write, direct and produce.

Legendary had no comment. Production on the film is expected to start in the fall, with the film set to bow on October 20, 2023.

Walken is coming off two critically-acclaimed roles on TV with Amazon Studios The Outlaws and most recently Severance, which was just renewed for a second season.

Rusty wrote:Florence Pugh is in everything.

UltimateMarvel wrote:I love Florence Pugh, can't say I'm tired of seeing her yet.

Deadline has confirmed local reports out of Italy that Legendary Entertainment’s Dune: Part Two is pre-shooting in Altivole, Italy in the Veneto region as early as tomorrow for two days. Full-on production with a bulk of the cast returning is scheduled for July 21 in Budapest, Hungary, which is where the 2021 title also filmed.

The shoot in Italy is reportedly taking place at the Carlo Scarpa designed Brion Tomb, a modernist looking area which looks ripe for the Dune universe. Scarpa designed the concrete structured area between 1968-78 comprised of a small chapel, a reflecting pool, an arcosolium, and gardens with Byzantine and Japanese accents.

As we reported last week, Warner Bros. pushed the release date for the Denis Villeneuve directed sequel from Oct. 20, 2023 to the pre-Thanksgiving date of Nov. 17, 2023. Pic’s original cast of Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin are reprising their roles with new castmembers Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Austin Butler joining.

Dune: Part Two plopped itself on the same release date as Lionsgate’s prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. We’ll see if both tentpoles live on the same weekend farther down the road after marketing materials roll out. Neither studio is flinching yet. While Dune appeals to older guys, Hunger Games is aimed at young women.  Hunger Games begins filming in two weeks.

The Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Villeneuve and Tanya LaPointe produced Dune grossed $400M WW, the top performer in Warner Bros.’ HBO Max theatrical day-and-date pandemic experiment, and won six Oscars after being nominated for ten including Best Picture.

‘Dune: Part Two’ Starts Filming: Full Cast and Synopsis Revealed

Denis Villeneuve is back on Arrakis as filming is finally underway on “Dune: Part Two.” The film is already slated for a November 2023 worldwide theatrical release from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment. Villeneuve is filming the sequel on location in Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jordan and Italy.

The official “Dune: Part 2” synopsis from Warner Bros. and Legendary reads: “This follow-up film 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.”

Warner Bros. and Legendary have also confirmed the returning cast, headlined by Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides. The Oscar nominee will once again be joined by Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling and Stephen McKinley Henderson. The studios have also confirmed the previously-reported cast additions, which include “Elvis” breakout Austin Butler as the notorious Feyd Rautha and Christopher Walken as the Emperor, plus Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux and Souheila Yacoub.

Villeneuve’s first “Dune” installment opened last October in theaters and on HBO Max to critical acclaim. The movie grossed $108 million at the U.S. box office and $401 million worldwide. “Dune” was nominated for 10 Oscars, including best picture, and won the Academy Awards for score, sound, editing, cinematography, production design and visual effects. All of Villeneuve’s Oscar-winning crafts team is returning for “Part Two.”

The studios have confirmed the following crew for “Dune: Part Two”: Cinematographer Greig Fraser, costume designer Jacqueline West, makeup, hair and prosthetic designer Donald Mowat, composer Hans Zimmer, production designer Patrice Vermette, editor Joe Walker, visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert and special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer.

“The thing that helps us right now is that it’s the first time I’ve revisited a universe,” Villeneuve said earlier this year about returning for the “Dune” sequel. “So I’m working with the same crew, everybody knows what to do, we know what it will look like. The movie will be more challenging, but we know where we are stepping. And the screenplay is written. So I feel confident. Frankly, the only big unknown for me right now is the pandemic.”

“Dune: Part Two” opens November 17, 2023.

Source: Variety

When Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) canceled Batgirl, it seemed to prove that no film was currently safe from cancelation. This has led to plenty of drama and worry from other studios, that partner with WBD. Studios now fear that their films could also be canceled on a whim, based on the recent moves made by WBD CEO, David David Zaslav. One of the studios that are worried is Legendary, which also saw its deal with WBD recently expire. Legendary Entertainment has a ton of releases in the works, including the highly anticipated Dune 2 sequel film, which Warner Bros could mess with. However, Legendary is thinking of making a switch to partner with Sony or Paramount.

Part of the reason why Legendary is thinking of switching is because of the wild moves made by Warner Bros. Discovery. Apart from loads of recently canceled titles, Warner Media also stood in the way of Legendary getting more money for the streaming release of Godzilla vs Kong last year. Legendary had wanted some $250 million to allow the film to be streamed. Netflix reportedly offered over $200 million, but the deal was blocked. Warner Media blocked this to enact their “Project Popcorn” initiative, which saw big releases premiering in theaters, then on HBO Max. This was to boost the viewership and subscribers of the app. It seemed to work considering Dune and Godzilla vs Kong were two of the biggest pandemic-era releases. However, they could have possibly made even more money staying in theaters. That might now be why Legendary doesn’t think Dune 2 is safe with Warner Bros.

Legendary has reportedly been contemplating the idea of a merger of its own, which would make sense as to why Paramount and Sony are now in the mix of studios wanting to buy their way into Legendary. The list of movies being worked on by Legendary is also a huge reason. Enola Holmes 2, A Christmas Story Christmas, The Toxic Avenger reboot, Duke Nukem, Gundam, and Gods Country are all being worked on. Dune 2 is also in the works, and Warner Bros might not be the safest place for any of these films to land. Legendary has also partnered with streamers on other films that have seen success like Enola Holmes on Netflix, Fresh on Hulu, and Paper Girls on Amazon Prime Video. Making a partnership with a streamer could end up being far more lucrative for Legendary.

Warner Bros losing Dune 2 would be massive considering how critically and commercially successful the first film was. However, the wild moves made by David Zaslav have made every studio question staying partnered with WBD. Dune was released on HBO Max, and it was a massive hit. However, with HBO Max being dissolved and combined with Discovery+ next year, that might not be the type of app that Legendary wants to align itself with any longer. It will be interesting to see what Legendary does moving forward, but we would completely understand why the studios is wanting to take its bigger titles elsewhere. There are likely plenty of streamers and studios that would drop everything to land Dune 2.

Source: GiantFreakinRobot

Tyger wrote:Don’t fuck this up, WB.

In a late addition to the roll call, Tim Blake Nelson has joined the high-flying cast of Dune: Part 2,  Denis Villeneuve’s sprawling adaptation of the Frank Herbert sci-fi classic being made by Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The actor, who becomes a first-time author when his debut novel, City of Blows, hits in February, joins Dune newcomers Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux and Christopher Walken on the project that officially wrapped shooting in mid-December.

The newcomers join returning actors Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem.

Character details for Nelson’s role are being kept deep in the sand. The sequel takes on the second half of Herbert’s 1965 novel, with Paul Atreides (Chalamet) teaming with the desert-dwelling Fremen to liberate the planet of Arrakis from the vicious House Harkonnen.

Dune: Part 2 will be released Nov. 3,. The first movie, Dune, opened simultaneously in domestic theaters and HBO Max Oct. 22, 2021, grossing $400.6 million at the worldwide box office and earning 10 Academy Award nominations, including for best picture, and winning six.

Villeneuve is directing Dune: Part 2 from a script he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts. Mary Parent, Villeneuve, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Patrick McCormick are producing the movie.

Nelson was most recently be seen in Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities and reteamed with the filmmaker for Netflix’s stop-motion feature, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, voicing the character of Black Rabbit. The movie debuted on streaming Dec. 9 and has been nominated for best animated feature at the 2023 Critic’s Choice Awards.

In 2021, Nelson stepped into leading man territory when he starred in Potsy Ponciroli’s action-Western Old Henry, receiving universal praise for his commanding performance.  

City of Blows, from Unnamed Press, aims to tell sordidness and absurdity of the movie industry with a story that juggles multiple characters — an aging and legendary producer, a hustling young upstart, ruthless agents, ambitious actors, and pressured directors — in a story that involves the adaptation of a best-selling novel and a producer bent on revenge.

Source: THR

UltimateMarvel wrote:Trailer was great! I didn't like that we had to wait 2 years for a sequel. This should have released last year.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” won’t be screened until November, but I’m hearing that the current cut of the film is very lengthy. How does 3 hours 15 minutes sound to you? This does not mean that the released version will be that long, but it is an indication, a tease, if you will, of how epic this second chapter will be. For comparison’s sake, the first “Dune,” released in 2021, was 2 hours 35 minutes. As Roger Ebert once said, “No good movie is too long, and no bad movie is short enough.”

Source: World Of Reel

In what was to be expected, Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros’ anticipated sequel Dune: Part Two from Denis Villeneuve is moving off its November 3 theatrical release to March 15, 2024, due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Poor people are the problem!

Director Denis Villeneuve has high hopes for Dune: Part Two, which is currently scheduled for release on March 1, 2024, after bouncing through several potential dates.

But at a South Korean press conference, Villeneuve indicated that there’s more to come: he’s almost finished writing the script for a third Dune movie.

“[Dune Messiah] is being written right now,” Villeneuve said. “The screenplay is almost finished, but it’s not finished. It will take a little time.”

Villeneuve said the third installment will follow Paul Atreides as he navigates “the end of [his] journey.”

Plans to turn Dune into a trilogy have long been a Villeneuve desire. “If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream,” he told Empire magazine last summer.

But before there’s a part three, Villeneuve has very high hopes for the second film.

“For me, this film is much better than Part One,” Villeneuve said. “There’s something more alive in it. There’s a relationship to the characters. I was trying to reach for an intensity and a quality of emotions that I didn’t reach with Part One and that I did reach with Part Two. I’m not saying the film is perfect, but I’m much more happy with Part Two than I was with Part One. I can not wait to share it with the fans and the moviegoers.”

Dune: Part Two will see Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya return, joined by Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård and Javier Bardem.

“Dune: Part Two” is riding those massive sandworms all the way to the top of box office charts.

Director Denis Villeneuve‘s big-budget sequel has collected $81.5 million in its domestic debut and delivered a mighty, necessary jolt for struggling movie theaters. It’s the biggest opening weekend of the year and the largest since last October’s Taylor Swift concert film “The Eras Tour” ($93 million).

“This is an outstanding opening for a science-fiction [sequel],” says David A. Gross of movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “Audiences are connecting with these human, vulnerable [characters].”

Buoyed by positive reviews and glowing word-of-mouth (it has a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” CinemaScore), “Dune 2” seems to have expanded its fanbase beyond sci-fi buffs and arrived on the higher end of expectations. Heading into the weekend, Warner Bros., the studio behind the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel, conservatively projected a $65 million start, though most box office prognosticators believed that revenues would surpass $80 million.

At the international box office, the sequel added $97 million for a massive global tally of $178 million.

“It’s really permeated the culture,” says “Dune” producer Mary Parent. “All signs point toward a long play.”

Like the first film, “Dune: Part Two” is especially popular in Imax and other premium large formats. PLFs, as they are known in the industry, contributed a massive 48% of the film’s domestic tally. Meanwhile, Imax accounted for $18.5 million of ticket sales, representing 23% of the marketshare. Demand to watch on 70mm film — the director’s format of choice — has been so high that some brave moviegoers have resorted to 3:15 a.m. showtimes. (Yes, a.m.)

“Our most iconic film locations are virtually sold out for weeks,” says Imax CEO Rich Gelfond.

With interest for those pricier PLF screens, “Part Two” looks like it’ll have the legs needed to justify its expensive return to the desert planet of Arrakis. The film, co-produced and co-financed by Legendary Entertainment, cost $190 million to produce and roughly $100 million more to promote to global audiences. Initial ticket sales for the sequel have far exceeded the original “Dune,” which opened in 2021 to $41 million while landing simultaneously on HBO Max. “Part One” ended its run with $402 million globally, making it one of the only financial wins from the studio’s pandemic-era hybrid release strategy.

The follow-up was originally slated to hit the big screen last fall, but it was delayed to spring because of the actors strike, which prevented stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and the rest of the sprawling, buzzy cast from being able to promote the movie. On its new release date, the second “Dune” benefited from pent-up demand; there hasn’t been a blockbuster in weeks.

Opening grosses for “Dune 2,” on the heels of Warner’s fantasy musical “Wonka,” appear to confirm Chalamet as the rarest of species: a bankable leading man. And outsized commercial results might position Villeneuve, with the possible exception of Christopher Nolan, as the filmmaker best able to deliver the types of brainy big-screen spectacles that can appeal to wide audiences.

“Audiences are responding to the combination of Denis Villeneuve’s ability to tell a story in an extraordinary way and the extraordinary cast,” says Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution Jeff Goldstein. “This is a moment for Timothée Chalamet.”

With “Dune: Part Two” taking up the majority of oxygen at multiplexes, other movies in theaters fought for scraps. In a distant second place, Paramount’s musical biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” added $7.4 million from 3,390 theaters. The film, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the music legend, has become a surprise box office success with $82.7 million in North America and $146 million globally.

Hilary Swank’s inspirational drama “Ordinary Angels” remained in third place with $3.8 million from 3,020 locations. After two weeks on the big screen, the Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company film has collected a mere $12 million. However, “Ordinary Angels” reportedly carries a modest budget in the low double digits, which could help to offset these lackluster grosses.

At the No. 4 spot, “Madame Web” continued to sputter with $3.2 million from 3,116 theaters. Sony’s “Spider-Man” spin-off, starring Dakota Johnson as a paramedic with psychic abilities, cost $80 million and has generated a paltry $40 million domestically and $50 million internationally to date.

Faith-based TV series “The Chosen” rounded out the top five with $3.1 million from 2,215 venues. Fathom Events has rolling out the show’s Season 4 exclusively in cinemas with two-week runs of episodes, and this weekend’s run included Episodes 7 and 8. Ticket sales were slightly behind episodes four through six, which brought in $3.5 million. They steeply declined from Episodes 1 through 3, which generated $6 million to start and $14 million during its run.

Prior to this weekend, domestic box office revenues were 20% behind the same period in 2023. But after the arrival of “Dune 2,” the gap shrank to 13.5%, according to Comscore.

“What a difference a weekend makes,” says senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Better late than never.”

Source: Variety

Rusty wrote:I still haven't seen part one. Is it worth the watch?

Rusty wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:

Rusty wrote:I still haven't seen part one. Is it worth the watch?

I've seen Part One three times and I think it gets better with every watch. 

My only real complaint was that it felt like an incomplete movie because Dune is impossible to tell in a single film which is why the original 80's movie is trash. However, now that Part II is finally here, I expect that complaint will be remedied when I can just watch Part One and Two back-to-back.

Nice. Back to back is how I'll be watching it, assuming the first interests me enough to continue.

WyldeMan wrote:

Rusty wrote:I still haven't seen part one. Is it worth the watch?

I've seen Part One three times and I think it gets better with every watch. 

My only real complaint was that it felt like an incomplete movie because Dune is impossible to tell in a single film which is why the original 80's movie is trash. However, now that Part II is finally here, I expect that complaint will be remedied when I can just watch Part One and Two back-to-back.

Tyger wrote:You shut your dirty mouth, the 80's version holds up. It was limited by the technology and studio policies of its time. I do enjoy it a lot more now after seeing Dune Part 1 though, that had an easier time setting up a lot of things.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Personally, Tyger, I wouldn't take that kind of disrespect from him.

UltimateMarvel wrote:That's some high praise there. I can't wait to finally see it.