Editing Dune (1984 film) (section)

===Canceled sequels===
When production started, it was anticipated for the film to launch a ''Dune'' franchise, and plans had been made to film two sequels back-to-back. Many of the props were put into storage after the completion of production in anticipation of future use, MacLachlan had signed for a two-film deal, and Lynch had begun writing a screenplay for the second film. Once ''Dune'' was released and failed at the box office, the sequel plans were canceled. In January 1985 Lynch stated:

{{blockquote|I'm writing the script for ''Dune II''. ''Dune II'' is totally ''[[Dune Messiah]]'', with variations on the theme. [...] ''Dune Messiah'' is a very short book, and a lot of people don't like it, but in there are some really nifty ideas. I'm real excited about that, and I think it could make a really good film. It starts 12 years later, and this creates a whole new set of problems. [...] It should have a different mood. [...] It should be 12 strange years later.
:—From ''David Lynch'', ''[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]]'' #78 (January 1985)<ref name=":W">{{Cite web|date=January 10, 2024|title=I Found David Lynch's Lost ''Dune II'' Script|url=https://www.wired.com/story/david-lynch-dune-sequel-script-unearthed|access-date=January 10, 2024|website=[[Wired (website)|Wired]]|last=Evry|first=Max|archive-date=January 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110142240/https://www.wired.com/story/david-lynch-dune-sequel-script-unearthed/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

In July 2023, writer Max Evry, doing research for his book, ''A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune'', on the first film's influence, discovered Lynch's half-completed draft treatment for the second film at the Frank Herbert Archives at [[California State University, Fullerton]]. Lynch was reached for comment in January 2024 and responded through a representative that he recalled beginning work on a script, but much like the first film, did not want to comment further. Based partly on ''Dune Messiah'', Evry described the tentatively-titled ''Dune II'' as having surpassed the novel's narrative approach in the screenplay adaption.<ref name=":W"/>