David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Dune was a critical and commercial flop. This time around, however, Legendary and Warner Bros. are banking on the fact that their remake will be a huge hit. In fact, they’re so confident in the upcoming film’s success that they’re already quietly lining up a sequel to the upcoming 2020 movie.

This isn’t totally surprising, given that director Denis Villeneuve stated early on that he was planning two separate pics in order to tell the full story of the novel. In accommodation with this change, Jon Spaihts had reportedly been removed as showrunner of the HBO Max spinoff entitled Dune: Sisterhood and moved over to the sequel as the screenwriter. He worked with Villeneuve on the screenplay for the first movie and thus is very familiar with the direction the franchise is headed in.

The highly-anticipated project boasts one of the most impressive casts outside of the MCU in recent memory. Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet will anchor the lead role alongside Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista, Thor actor Stellan Skarsgård, Star Wars‘ Oscar Isaac, Avengers: Endgame‘s Josh Brolin, Aquaman star Jason Momoa, Mission: Impossible‘s Rebecca Ferguson, Spider-Man star Zendaya, Pirates of the Caribbean actor Javier Bardem and more. If that list alone isn’t enough to make fans excited about this flick, we don’t know what will.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, the movie will follow the story of protagonist Paul Atreides, the son of a noble family, who’s entrusted to protect and defend one of the most vital elements in the universe. Villeneuve thinks that the film will end up being Star Wars for adults, which could mean that a new massive blockbuster franchise is just around the corner.

Dune is currently scheduled to hit theaters on December 18th, 2020 and we can’t wait to see it.