Dune: Part One footage reveals a sequel is all but inevitable

Looks like the spice will be flowing for the foreseeable future. As new preview footage for Dune is screening in IMAX theaters around the world, one of the footage’s biggest reveals has the Internet buzzing.

Let’s get right to it: the title of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune has changed, and with its updated title, the prayers of countless fans have been preemptively answered.

Here’s what to expect from Dune: Part One, which is almost certainly the first film in a series. Mild spoilers (possibly) ahead.

On Wednesday, fans and critics began sharing reactions to the special IMAX-only theatrical sneak peek at Dune that Warner Bros. has been hosting. This writer hasn’t yet seen the footage (though Inverse will have an extensive breakdown of what was screened by this time tomorrow), but trusted leakers and fans report the IMAX presentation included the following.

1. The first 10 minutes of Dune, which is focused on Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and specifically Paul’s Gom Jabbar test at the hands of the Reverend Mother Gaius Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling)
2. Introductions from the cast and the crew
3. A segment specifically focused on Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune
4. A new scene from the film, which reveals a giant Sandworm attacking a spice loader

In the book (and in previous adaptations), that new scene happens during the first half of the action, meaning that we don’t need to worry about Warner Bros. giving away Dune’s finale.

Dune is now known as Dune: Part One

According to several people who saw the new footage, Dune is now officially titled Dune: Part One and not simply Dune.

This can only mean that Dune: Part Two is in the cards at Warner Bros., and barring a box-office bomb result for the first film, we can expect the studio to proceed with plans for that sequel. Rumors that the first film ends abruptly, leaving off on a Dune cliffhanger, had been worrying fans, given how risky a big-budget science-fiction epic like Dune really is.

If the first film ended up underwhelming its studio with low ticket sales, would the story ever be finished? Up until today, we didn’t have an answer. Now, those fans can rest easy. Another Dune film is on the horizon.

Dune hits theaters in the US and HBO Max on October 22, 2021.