Dune 2: We Interview Denis Villeneuve about Dune Messiah, Enemy and more!

Last Updated on March 5, 2024

For those who may not be aware, Denis Villeneuve started his career in Quebec long before he became a big Hollywood director. One of the biggest directors ever to emerge from this Canadian province (where some of us working for JoBlo – including yours truly – live), Villeneuve started to break through internationally with his films Polytechnique and Incendies. These movies led to his American debut with Prisoners, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In a full-circle moment, Villeneuve brought Dune: Part Two back to his Montreal home for a gala premiere, and JoBlo was invited to speak to the legendary director on the red (or rather spice-coloured) carpet, where we had a few minutes to chat with him about what’s coming up next for him. As you can see in the interview embedded above, Villeneuve is currently developing two scripts, one of which is Dune Messiah, and he’ll next direct whichever script is ready first. However, he does note that he’d like to squeeze in another movie before returning to Arakkis, along the lines of his underrated Jake Gyllenhaal film, Enemy, which Villeneuve remains very fond of. Villeneuve also revealed that Dune author Frank Herbert was upset at the way Paul’s messianic arc was portrayed as two-dimensionally heroic in the David Lynch version of the film, with him trying to convey more of the danger of any military leader being elevated to being a religious icon in his telling.

We also chatted with the film’s producer, Tanya Lapointe, who weighed in on Austin Butler’s transformation in Feyd-Rautha, and what it was like to see him and the original Feyd, Sting, meet at a recent screening in London. 

Overall, it was really fun to cover this event in Montreal, and I want to thank Kate Hautakoski, who shot the interviews for me (check out her portfolio here), and our own ace editor, Kier Gomes, for making me look good; much appreciated!