Despite currently writing the third one, Dune director Denis Villeneuve doesn't consider his take on the series to be a trilogy

A third Dune film is in the works, but if you ask Denis Villeneuve, his take on the sci-fi classic is "not like a trilogy."

At the moment, Dune director Denis Villeneuve is currently in the process of writing a third film, which will be based on the second book in the series Messiah. But despite being a third film, the director isn't viewing them as a trilogy. Villeneuve recently made an appearance on Vanity Fair's Little Gold Men podcast, where he spoke about the Dune films, and his plans for the series going forward. "First, it’s important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych," Villeneuve said of his two Dune movies.

"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."

One big thing that has to be considered with Messiah is that the book takes place 12 years after the first one, and with the films having such a young-looking cast in Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, there could potentially be problems there - though Villeneuve said "I know how to do that" when asked about ageing up the cast, without providing any hints as to what he means.

You also shouldn't expect the director to helm any other films after Messiah, as he feels like he's ready to move on from them. "Listen, if Dune: Messiah happens, it will have been many years for me on Arrakis, and I would love to do something else. I think that it would be a good idea for me to make sure that, in Messiah, there are the seeds in the project if someone wants to do something else afterwards, because they are beautiful books. They are more difficult to adapt. They become more and more esoteric. It’s a bit more tricky to adapt, but I’m not closing the door. I will not do it myself, but it could happen with someone else."

Considering Dune: Part Two took home over $700 million at the box office this year, another film is probably a safe bet, but in the movie business anything can go wrong. Still, it's not like you'll be short on live-action Dune content, as the prequel series Prophecy is on the way later this year, having received its first trailer back in May.