Christopher Nolan Shifts ‘Dune 2’ Hype Into Overdrive By Comparing To One Of The Best Films Ever Made

dune part two trailer

Warner Bros.


Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming film Dune: Part Two was already one of the most anticipated movies of the year and now director Christopher Nolan has already added further fuel to that fire.

Speaking about the film at a recent Q&A, the acclaimed Oppenheimer filmmaker took the bold step of comparing Dune: Part Two to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

“If, to me, Dune was like Star Wars, then Dune 2 is The Empire Fights Back, which is my favorite Star Wars film. I think it’s just a great expansion of all that was introduced in the first one,” Nolan said.

Here is the official plot synopsis for Dune: Part Two, via Warner Bros.

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path 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.

Alongside Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya in the starring roles, Dune: Part Two features an ensemble cast that stars Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydouxm Stephen McKinley Henderson, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, and Christopher Walken.

If Dune: Part Two is successful, which it seems like it surely will be, then Denis Villeneuve plans to adapt the book Dune: Messiah into the third and final film of his trilogy.

“The screenplay is almost finished but it is not finished. It will take a little time … There’s a dream of making a third movie … it would make absolute sense to me,” Villeneuve said in late 2023.

Dune: Part Two — a sequel to 2021’s Best Picture-nominated Dune — will be released in movie theaters in the United States on Friday, March 1. Check out one of the official trailers for Dune: Part Two below.