The first two Dune movies from Denis Villeneuve may have covered all the main beats of the main book, but it’s been confirmed that Villeneuve is actually planning three movies, and Dune: Messiah has already been given the greenlight.
Though they only appeared briefly in the second movie, Villeneuve has confirmed that these two supporting characters are going to be more prominent in the spotlight by the third movie.
Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor-Joy's Larger Involvement in Dune: Messiah
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair (via @FilmUpdates), Villeneuve confirmed that Anya Taylor-Joy (Alia Atreides) and Florence Pugh (Princess Irulan) are going to have larger roles in the upcoming Dune: Messiah.
It’s not been confirmed how their parts are going to be handled, but with the character of Alia being an unborn child by the end of Dune: Part Two, the inclusion of Taylor-Joy confirms that Messiah is going to feature a significant time jump since Paul claimed the title of Emperor. As for Irulan, Paul essentially forced her to become her bride, so it’s expected that she’s going to be keeping a close eye on him—or vice versa.
Irulan and Alia’s Roles in Dune
To those who haven’t read the books, Irulan is essentially the narrator, and it’s her records that are explaining just exactly how Paul Atreides managed to achieve power in Arrakis. Part Two had shown that she was in on the plans of the Bene Geserrit the whole time, but none of them were expecting Paul to actually take the throne for himself—they had originally planned for Feyd-Rautha to win the duel.
As for Alia, she essentially functions as Paul’s regent when he is Emperor in the books, but even while she is still in the womb, she is already plotting with Lady Jessica about how to instill the propaganda to the people that Paul is their God-given liberator.
She also appears in a brief vision scene after Paul drinks the water of life, where she says, “Now that you have seen out past, you can see out future. My brother, my dearest brother, you are not prepared for what is to come. You’ll now learn the truth about our family, and it will hurt you to the core. Paul, don’t worry. I’m with you. I love you.”
Changes to the Lore
Though the movies have been pretty faithful to the books so far, Villeneuve has confirmed that there are going to be some changes in future movies.
One of the biggest changes was the character of Chani who had resisted Paul’s rise to power. She was actually pretty complacent in the books, but the way the film is framed, she could be the one to rally people to resist the Kwisatz Haderach. Irulan and Alia could be a look inside Paul’s side of the holy war.
As far as the development of the movie goes, Villeneuve told VF:
“First, it’s important that people understand that for me, [the first two movies were] really a diptych… It was really a pair of movies that will be the adaptation of the first book. That’s done and that’s finished. If I do a third one, which is in the writing process, it’s not like a trilogy. It’s strange to say that, but if I go back there, it’s to do something that feels different and has its own identity.”
For now, Dune: Messiah is still in development and has no fixed release date. In the meantime, fans can watch out for Dune: Prophecy which hits Max this November.