10 Directors Who Could Be Denis Villeneuve's Replacement For Dune 4 & Beyond

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies have been some of the most popular sci-fi films in recent memory, but the director only has plans for three scheduled entries in the franchise. Few details are known about Dune: Messiah, but Villeneuve has claimed that it will most likely be his final involvement in this franchise - yet it’s unlikely that Warner Brothers will let such a prosperous franchise die out so easily. This will leave room for another director to take over the reins once Villeneuve has finished.

Although the filmmaker only has plans for three movies, several other books exist beyond Dune: Messiah. Frank Herbert originally wrote six novels in the Dune series, but with the help of official add-ons and stories written by his son, Brian Herbert, the number now reaches higher than 20. To have Dune: Messiah as the final on-screen adaptation would be a huge disappointment that ignores some of the best stories in the franchise. Thankfully, with projects like Dune: Prophecy on the horizon, it seems as though this cinematic universe won’t end with Villeneuve’s exit.

10 Alex Garland

Director Of Ex Machina & Annihilation

Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury

Alex Garland is undeniably one of the most exciting voices to emerge in the sci-fi genre over the last decade. His directorial debut Ex Machina is a chilling story about the power of artificial intelligence, while Annihilation is a more human story about fear and self-destruction. Interestingly, Garland often weaves elements of horror and terror into his sci-fi stories, which could be extremely fitting for the later stories in the Dune franchise.

Garland also proved with Civil War that he’s capable of tackling larger-scale stories with multiple characters and interweaving storylines. This would be crucial for Dune since the protagonist of the story changes multiple times throughout the later novels and the movies would need to balance all the side characters evenly to make this unique structure work. Garland has only made great movies so far, and the Dune franchise could be an exciting next step.

9 Robert Eggers

Director Of The Lighthouse & The Northman

Robert Eggers has a unique blend of horror and twisted sci-fi that could be fascinating to see applied to the Dune universe. One big problem with Villeneuve’s Dune is that it never fully leans into the dark, complex workings of this intergalactic political system, but that’s exactly where Eggers would shine. The raw imagery of films like The Lighthouse is something that could work well for Children of Dune, with the terrifying creature designs and countless opportunities for horror practical effects.

Admittedly, the first two novels in the Dune series are the tamest. It’s not until Children of Dune and Heretics of Dune that Herbert really leans into the possibilities of the sci-fi genre, presenting readers with human/worm hybrids and disfiguring the barrier between life and death. This is something Eggers could easily manage, giving Dune 4 a unique horror twist that would help separate it from the first three movies.

8 Gareth Edwards

Director Of Rogue One & The Creator

There are countless similarities between Dune and Star Wars, so it would make sense for a filmmaker who’s familiar with the latter to take over for Dune 4. Gareth Edwards is the most fitting name for the task: not only is Rogue One very similar to Dune with its grand scope and an ensemble cast of characters, but he’s also leaned into studio filmmaking with his involvement in Jurassic Park: Rebirth. He’s used to working with huge budgets and tight studio constraints, which could make for a much smoother production process on future Dune sequels.

The Creator also proved Edwards’ ability when it comes to worldbuilding, which Dune is famous for. The way that he brings an entire universe to life in that film is effortless, teaching the audience everything they need to know without it feeling like a chore. The amount of complex information and detailed sci-fi concepts that need to be introduced in Dune 4 is immense, and it will take somebody like Gareth Edwards to make it work.

7 Chloe Zhao

Director Of Nomadland & Eternals

While the director of Nomadland might not seem like the most obvious choice for a Dune sequel, her work on Eternals proved that Chloe Zhao is more than capable of balancing a huge-scale narrative with interesting, individual characters and their complex dynamics. Dune 4 would likely include a whole new cast of characters, so it would take somebody with excellent writing skills and a fundamental understanding of characters to make the audience care about them - and Zhao has it.

Since Eternals 2 likely won’t happen after the first movie’s poor reception, this seems like a perfect opportunity for Zhao to prove herself in a blockbuster again. Eternals tried to fit so much content into one movie that it was ultimately doomed to fail. Nobody could have balanced all the elements of that story in the way that Marvel wanted without having to sacrifice some character work, but Zhao did her best with what she was given. The direction and sense of scale were easily the strongest parts of Eternals, and she could bring that to Dune 4.

6 Guillermo del Toro

Director Of Pan’s Labyrinth & The Shape Of Water

Guillermo del Toro is somewhat of an outside pick to direct Dune 4, not least because he’s never taken on a long-running franchise like this before. The majority of his films are standalone, original stories, so this would be a huge undertaking that could push him outside of his comfort zone. But looking at the work he’s done in the past, there’s nothing to say he couldn’t produce an excellent Dune movie. The neo-noir elements of Nightmare Alley mixed with the sci-fi haziness of The Shape of Water could be a fascinating tone for Dune 4.

Del Toro would also be an extremely strategic move for the Dune franchise: since its inception, the series has been marketed as Denis Villeneuve’s passion project, and he’s been presented as the ‘auteur’ behind the whole franchise. If it’s going to continue, the studio will need to find another big-name auteur figure to take the reins and assume creative control of the entire franchise. Guillermo del Toro is beloved in the world of fantasy and sci-fi, so he could easily get fans on his side.

5 Rian Johnson

Director Of Knives Out & Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Rian Johnson is another name involved with the Star Wars franchise, but while The Last Jedi is a hugely underrated film, that’s not the only reason he should be considered for Dune 4. Although it has nothing to do with sci-fi, his successful murder mystery Knives Out is a perfect example of how efficiently Johnson can balance a large ensemble cast. Multiple characters with hidden motivations and complex backstories are all developed in fascinating ways, leading to plenty of unpredictable twists. This is the kind of drama that’s necessary to succeed with the later Dune novels.

Despite its controversial reception, The Last Jedi is another great example of Johnson’s filmmaking ability. It features some of the best action sequences in the entire Star Wars franchise, some excellent character moments, and a touching sentimentality that honors the legacy character of Luke Skywalker in a creative way. Children of Dune has a very similar atmosphere, focusing on Paul Atreides’ children and using the original protagonist as a legacy figure around which the new story orbits.

4 Patty Jenkins

Director Of Wonder Woman & Monster

Patty Jenkins is best known for her work on Wonder Woman and its direct sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, which immediately proves that she’d be a suitable candidate for a large studio movie like Dune 4. These projects are very different experiences to indie movies, and for the most part, they require a director who’s already familiar with handling large budgets and studio constraints - so a filmmaker who has worked on superhero movies seems like a perfect fit.

Jenkins hasn’t directed anything since Wonder Woman 1984 and her third Wonder Woman movie was canceled when James Gunn took over creative control of the DC cinematic universe. Bringing her in for Dune 4 would be a fitting way of compensating her for this unfortunate cancellation and giving her another chance at helming a blockbuster franchise. The historic setting and high-stakes action of Wonder Woman could blend interestingly with the Dune universe, setting the sequels apart from Villeneuve’s movies.

3 Fede Alvarez

Director Of Alien: Romulus & Evil Dead

The first two Dune novels are very different from the rest: they’re much lighter, more accessible, and straightforward in their stories. From there, the franchise gets more complicated and outlandish with its sci-fi concepts. For that reason, it needs somebody who isn’t afraid to get extremely weird and potentially absurdist with the sequels - the director of 2013’s Evil Dead, for example. Alvarez made his name with this bloody, over-the-top supernatural flick that has all the weird hallmarks of Herbert’s storytelling if he can tone down the horror slightly.

Most recently, Alvarez was involved in Alien: Romulus, which proved that he’s capable of transposing his bold filmmaking style to a sci-fi setting. This is further proof that he’s a suitable candidate for Dune, as his high-stakes storytelling and unnerving creatures such as Alien: Romulus “Offspring” feel like perfect fits for this universe.

2 David Lowery

Director Of The Green Knight & A Ghost Story

One of the main reasons that Frank Herbert’s novels have been so successful is because they blend science fiction with important, topical commentary about the world around us. Villeneuve’s adaptations capture this expertly, using vivid imagery to discuss issues such as colonialism and fascism in this far-off universe. If the sequels are going to continue this trend (which the books certainly do), they need a director who’s familiar with similarly blending fact and fiction.

David Lowery is a perfect example of this, as he’s an expert at metaphorical storytelling. Both The Green Knight and A Ghost Story are tightly woven stories about ambition, grief, and power told through the lens of fairytales and faraway worlds, which is exactly what Herbert is doing with books like Children of Dune. While Lowery doesn’t have much experience with huge-budget studio pictures like Dune, his storytelling methods are a perfect fit.

1 Kathryn Bigelow

Director Of Point Break & The Hurt Locker

Although Kathryn Bigelow hasn’t made a smash hit like The Hurt Locker in several years, she’s still considered one of the greatest action directors ever. The ending of Point Break features some all-time great action storytelling, and Zero Dark Thirty is a masterclass in tension-building and character work. If Dune 4 wants to lean more into the grand-scope action of the franchise instead of the subtle politics and sci-fi horror, Bigelow could be an excellent choice.

Villeneuve’s adaptations of Dune have been fairly loyal to the source material, but there’s room to switch up the genre a bit in future sequels. Books such as Chapterhouse: Dune could easily be turned into sci-fi epics like Star Wars with thrilling action sequences and space battles - if that’s the case, it’s easy to imagine that Kathryn Bigelow would bring her trademark style to the franchise in a fresh new way.

Dune

Dune is a sci-fi franchise created by Frank Herbert with the 1965 novel of the same name. In 1984, the first live-action adaptation was released from director David Lynch and starring Kyle MacLachlan. About 20 years later, a TV mini-series was released, followed by a new adaptation starring Timothée Chalamet.