Dune: Part Three isn’t Denis Villeneuve‘s most exciting sci-fi movie in the making, but a $7.8 billion franchise stands in its way. Villeneuve has solidified himself as one of the best sci-fi filmmakers working today with Arrival (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), but most importantly, Dune. His two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel made a combined $1.15 billion globally and earned him two Oscar nominations for Best Picture.

Following the critical and commercial success of his two-part adaptation of Dune, the visionary director is now adapting the second novel in the series, Dune Messiah. The film will feature the return of Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho.

Two new cast members have officially been added – Nakoa-Wolf Momoa as Leto II Atreides and Ida Brooke as Ghanima Atreides. Robert Pattinson was also reportedly in talks for the role of the villain Scytale. Dune: Part Three is incredibly exciting because of how different it will be from the first two films, but also because it could launch Villeneuve’s Dune among the greatest sci-fi trilogies of all time.

Just before Dune: Part Three started filming earlier this month, it was announced that Villeneuve was hired to direct James Bond 26 for Amazon MGM Studios. While Villeneuve has another sci-fi movie in the making that might be more exciting than Dune: Part Three, the James Bond franchise stands in its way.

Rendezvous With Rama Is Villeneuve’s Most Exciting Sci-Fi Movie

It’s Based On The Book By Arthur C. Clarke

Denis Villeneuve’s Rendezvous with Rama might arguably be even more exciting than Dune: Part Three. The 1973 sci-fi novel was written by Arthur C. Clarke, who co-wrote one of the best sci-fi movies of all time in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Additionally, Rendezvous with Rama plays perfectly to Villeneuve’s strengths as a filmmaker – atmosphere, awe, and philosophical depth.

Clarke crafted Rendezvous with Rama as a slow-burning mystery driven by grandeur and intellectual curiosity – elements Villeneuve excels at visualizing. Set in the 2130s, the story follows a team of human explorers as they investigate a vast cylindrical alien starship, 31 miles long and 12 miles wide, that silently enters our Solar System.

As the team ventures inside, they confront an eerie and uninhabited world of mechanical ecosystems and unknown purpose. The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula awards and is a cornerstone of Clarke’s legacy. With Villeneuve’s touch, it could become a cinematic sci-fi classic.

Rendezvous With Rama Is Unlikely To Happen For A Long Time

Villeneuve Has Dune: Part Three & James Bond

Despite the perfect alignment between Villeneuve’s style and Clarke’s visionary novel, Rendezvous with Rama remains stalled behind a crowded production slate. With Dune: Part Three, James Bond 26, and potentially multiple 007 movies ahead, plus pᴀssion projects like Cleopatra and Nuclear War: A Scenario, Villeneuve‘s schedule is stacked, making his most tantalizing sci-fi adaptation unlikely to lift off anytime soon.