It’s not every day that a filmmaker like Christopher Nolan takes the stage to heap praise on another director’s work, but that’s exactly what happened during a special FYC Panel Q&A for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. Nolan, known for his cerebral and visually stunning films, had nothing but glowing things to say about Villeneuve’s epic sequel, calling it an extraordinary achievement in adapting Frank Herbert’s famously dense novel.
“I think just the miraculous job of adaptation… making an incredible continuation of the story,” Nolan said, expressing admiration for how Villeneuve tackled the notoriously difficult second half of Frank Herbert’s novel. He added: “This was actually an act of exploring the world further and borrowing into the complications and embracing those… world-building beyond even what’s in the book.”
Nolan highlighted Villeneuve’s attention to detail, marvelling at scenes like the depiction of Fremen water extraction techniques. “Seeing the secrets of how the water is extracted from the bodies… I think you’re building those things from there,” he said. This level of immersion, Nolan noted, added a new layer to Herbert’s already rich universe.
One moment that clearly struck Nolan was the climactic speech that Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides delivers. “That scene I think is so extraordinary as a representation of somebody exercising their power… It’s magnificent, I mean wonderful,” Nolan said. He praised how the sequence captured both Paul’s command and the tension it created, particularly when seen through Chani’s eyes.
On the film’s overall aesthetic, Nolan commended the seamless integration of practical and digital effects. “There’s such a fantastic relationship between the design, the world that you’re building, and the use of digital effects… It’s so cohesive. You believe in these environments so much,” he said, describing Villeneuve’s visual storytelling as extraordinary.
For Villeneuve, Nolan’s praise was clearly meaningful, though the Canadian-French filmmaker credited his team for bringing Herbert’s complex vision to life.
Released in 2024, Dune: Part Two concludes Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s landmark 1965 novel. Co-written with Jon Spaihts, the film dives deeper into the political, spiritual, and ecological complexities of Arrakis Villeneuve described the two films as “a movie made in two parts.” But, of course…
A New Chapter: Dune: Prophecy
Villeneuve isn’t quite ready to leave the sands of Arrakis. He’s currently working on Dune: Prophecy, a follow-up based on Herbert’s Dune Messiah. Set 12 years after Part Two, the new film will continue Paul Atreides’ journey. Talking to Deadline in October, Villeneuve has described it as “completely different” from the first two films, adding, “While it’s the same world, it’s a new film with new circumstances.”
Production on the next film, which will bring back cast members include Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Anya Taylor-Joy, could begin in 2026. That being said, Villeneuve is hesitant to commit to a timeline, saying, “These movies take a lot of time to be made, so it’s best not to say out loud when I might shoot.”
“Let’s say,” he added, “that I thought that after Part Two that I will take a break, that I will go back in the woods and stay in the woods for a while to recover. But the woods weren’t really suiting me, and I would go back behind the camera faster than I think. But that’s all I can say.”
–
Here’s a look at the complete 36-minute chat between the two masterful filmmakers:
