Denis Villeneuve is ready to get to work on Dune Part 2, with plans to start filming the follow-up as early as 2022 if Warner Bros. gives it the greenlight.

IGN's Jim Vejvoda recently attended a roundtable interview with Villeneuve, in which the director expressed confidence in bringing Dune Part 2 to the screen "as soon as possible" if the project is given the approval it needs to move out of the starting blocks, though he stressed that he wouldn't compromise on quality in order to get Part 2 made quickly.

"I would be very ready to go quite quickly," Villeneuve confirmed before setting out plans for production. "To go quickly in a movie of that size, you still need to make sets, costumes, so we are talking about months. But if ever there's enthusiasm and the movie is greenlit sooner than later, I will say that I will be ready to shoot in 2022 for sure.

"I am ready to go, and I will say that I would love to bring it to the screen as soon as possible," he added about Part 2. "The first film, I really had time to make sure that it was exactly the way I wanted it to be. I would love to have the same feeling when I make the second part. That would be the priority. Quality will be the priority."

Villeneuve previously discussed his plans to split the first novel in Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi series into two movies, and then adapt Herbert's 1969 sequel novel Dune Messiah for a potential third movie. During the roundtable, the filmmaker teased the possible expansion of Dune's world for Part 2, now that the groundwork has been laid in the first installment.

"I will say, listen, the tough task here was to introduce you guys to the world, the audience to this world, to the codes, to the culture, the different families, the different planets," Villeneuve explained, touching on Dune's complex narrative. "Once this is done, it becomes an insane playground. It will allow me to go berserk."

Villeneuve called Part 1 an "appetizer," served to establish the story and increase anticipation for what could potentially follow in Part 2, which he referred to as the "main meal" that will add so much more to the proverbial plate. He said he felt "even more excited" at the prospect of getting to work on the sequel despite the first movie being his most personal project so far.

Although Part 2 hasn't been officially greenlit, Villeneuve has already expressed heaps of optimism for the second part of his Dune duology. He's also revealed that Zendaya's Chani would emerge as the female protagonist of the adaptation's next installment alongside Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides who would remain the central focus of the follow-up.

As it currently stands, however, Dune Part 1 is set to simultaneously release in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22. The movie had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, and the first reviews for the star-studded sci-fi epic have started to emerge. Read IGN's thoughts on Dune by clicking here.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Denis Villeneuve is ready to get to work on Dune Part 2, with plans to start filming the follow-up as early as 2022 if Warner Bros. gives it the greenlight.

IGN's Jim Vejvoda recently attended a roundtable interview with Villeneuve, in which the director expressed confidence in bringing Dune Part 2 to the screen "as soon as possible" if the project is given the approval it needs to move out of the starting blocks, though he stressed that he wouldn't compromise on quality in order to get Part 2 made quickly.

"I would be very ready to go quite quickly," Villeneuve confirmed before setting out plans for production. "To go quickly in a movie of that size, you still need to make sets, costumes, so we are talking about months. But if ever there's enthusiasm and the movie is greenlit sooner than later, I will say that I will be ready to shoot in 2022 for sure.

"I am ready to go, and I will say that I would love to bring it to the screen as soon as possible," he added about Part 2. "The first film, I really had time to make sure that it was exactly the way I wanted it to be. I would love to have the same feeling when I make the second part. That would be the priority. Quality will be the priority."

Villeneuve previously discussed his plans to split the first novel in Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi series into two movies, and then adapt Herbert's 1969 sequel novel Dune Messiah for a potential third movie. During the roundtable, the filmmaker teased the possible expansion of Dune's world for Part 2, now that the groundwork has been laid in the first installment.

"I will say, listen, the tough task here was to introduce you guys to the world, the audience to this world, to the codes, to the culture, the different families, the different planets," Villeneuve explained, touching on Dune's complex narrative. "Once this is done, it becomes an insane playground. It will allow me to go berserk."

Villeneuve called Part 1 an "appetizer," served to establish the story and increase anticipation for what could potentially follow in Part 2, which he referred to as the "main meal" that will add so much more to the proverbial plate. He said he felt "even more excited" at the prospect of getting to work on the sequel despite the first movie being his most personal project so far.

Although Part 2 hasn't been officially greenlit, Villeneuve has already expressed heaps of optimism for the second part of his Dune duology. He's also revealed that Zendaya's Chani would emerge as the female protagonist of the adaptation's next installment alongside Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides who would remain the central focus of the follow-up.

As it currently stands, however, Dune Part 1 is set to simultaneously release in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22. The movie had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, and the first reviews for the star-studded sci-fi epic have started to emerge. Read IGN's thoughts on Dune by clicking here.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone says that he is currently focused on creating a new, unrevealed game rather than fresh updates for his immensely popular farming simulator.

Speaking recently to Zach Hartman on Twitch (as reported by Eurogamer) following the conclusion of the first official Stardew Valley Cup, Barone explained that he's currently not working on future Stardew Valley updates because he has been focused on a new game.

"I'm not saying there's going to be another Stardew Valley update," Barone added during his response to a fan's question surrounding future updates and marriage options within the game. "I don't even know at this point. Right now I am focused on my next game. So, we'll see."

Whilst Barone kept details surrounding the new title close to his chest, he did provide fans a few details to mull over in the lead-up to an official reveal, which he then teased may end up coming sometime in the near future.

"I may announce it fairly soon, what it is - no-one knows at this point," he said during the stream. "What I will say is that it's another pixel art game, a top-down perspective similar to Stardew Valley. In some ways, it is kind of similar to Stardew Valley, but it's also not a farming game. It's something different."

As previously mentioned, details surrounding the new game come off the back of the first Stardew Valley Cup. The event, which was co-ran by Barone and Hartman, marks the game's first official competitive tournament and had a prize pool of just under $40,000. Following the conclusion of the stream, Barone congratulated the winning team, Sandy's Candies on Twitter.

Congrats to Sandy's Candies for winning the Stardew Valley Cup! It was a lot of fun. Hope everyone who watched had a good time!

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) September 4, 2021

Stardew Valley has seen monumental success since its initial release in 2016, building up an impressive and dedicated community. The game has not only reached almost every major modern platform gaming has to offer through ports for Switch, mobile, and home consoles, but this year it also received its own board game.

If Barone's new title features the farming simulator's charm, charisma and replayability, then he'll undoubtedly have a loyal fanbase ready to flock toward it – and another winner on his hands.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone says that he is currently focused on creating a new, unrevealed game rather than fresh updates for his immensely popular farming simulator.

Speaking recently to Zach Hartman on Twitch (as reported by Eurogamer) following the conclusion of the first official Stardew Valley Cup, Barone explained that he's currently not working on future Stardew Valley updates because he has been focused on a new game.

"I'm not saying there's going to be another Stardew Valley update," Barone added during his response to a fan's question surrounding future updates and marriage options within the game. "I don't even know at this point. Right now I am focused on my next game. So, we'll see."

Whilst Barone kept details surrounding the new title close to his chest, he did provide fans a few details to mull over in the lead-up to an official reveal, which he then teased may end up coming sometime in the near future.

"I may announce it fairly soon, what it is - no-one knows at this point," he said during the stream. "What I will say is that it's another pixel art game, a top-down perspective similar to Stardew Valley. In some ways, it is kind of similar to Stardew Valley, but it's also not a farming game. It's something different."

As previously mentioned, details surrounding the new game come off the back of the first Stardew Valley Cup. The event, which was co-ran by Barone and Hartman, marks the game's first official competitive tournament and had a prize pool of just under $40,000. Following the conclusion of the stream, Barone congratulated the winning team, Sandy's Candies on Twitter.

Congrats to Sandy's Candies for winning the Stardew Valley Cup! It was a lot of fun. Hope everyone who watched had a good time!

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) September 4, 2021

Stardew Valley has seen monumental success since its initial release in 2016, building up an impressive and dedicated community. The game has not only reached almost every major modern platform gaming has to offer through ports for Switch, mobile, and home consoles, but this year it also received its own board game.

If Barone's new title features the farming simulator's charm, charisma and replayability, then he'll undoubtedly have a loyal fanbase ready to flock toward it – and another winner on his hands.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

A remaster of Alan Wake might be coming next month, according to a new store listing.

Back in June, Alan Wake Remastered appeared alongside Final Fantasy 7 Remake within Epic Games Store backend data. Now, a little over two months later, listings for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox versions of Alan Wake Remastered have appeared on Taiwanese store, Rakuten Taiwan, as spotted by Wario64 on Twitter.

Alan Wake Remastered listed for Oct 5th release (PS4/PS5/Xbox) on Rakuten Taiwan https://t.co/qb4YOFpqxBhttps://t.co/kYbeONXefFhttps://t.co/PaDnYZ1MME pic.twitter.com/883y2DhCkD

— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 4, 2021

The links Wario64 posted no longer take you to the Alan Wake Remastered listings, but before the links were changed, IGN was able to visit each link and verify that each took you to a Rakuten Taiwan listing for the game. Below are screenshots of the PS4, PS5, and Xbox listings for Alan Wake Remastered.

As you can see in the screenshots above, the listings seem to suggest an October 5 release date. Industry analyst, Daniel Ahmad, replied to Wario64 on Twitter about an hour after Wario64 posted the links to seemingly confirm that Alan Wake Remastered is real.

"Will be announced next week," Ahmad said.

"[Next] week" might seem random, but Ahmad could be alluding to the upcoming 2021 PlayStation Showcase happening next week on September 9. The listings do show a PlayStation 5 version and the showcase is set to go over the "future of PS5." Perhaps Alan Wake Remastered is in that future.

Of course, this could just be coincidence and Alan Wake Remastered might be announced at a different time independent of the 2021 PlayStation Showcase next week.

While waiting to see if Alan Wake Remastered is actually real, read about how the game appeared in Epic Games Store data back in June and then read our thoughts on the recent Control-Alan Wake crossover in IGN's Control: AWE Expansion review. Check out our thoughts on the original Alan Wake in IGN's Alan Wake review after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

A remaster of Alan Wake might be coming next month, according to a new store listing.

Back in June, Alan Wake Remastered appeared alongside Final Fantasy 7 Remake within Epic Games Store backend data. Now, a little over two months later, listings for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox versions of Alan Wake Remastered have appeared on Taiwanese store, Rakuten Taiwan, as spotted by Wario64 on Twitter.

Alan Wake Remastered listed for Oct 5th release (PS4/PS5/Xbox) on Rakuten Taiwan https://t.co/qb4YOFpqxBhttps://t.co/kYbeONXefFhttps://t.co/PaDnYZ1MME pic.twitter.com/883y2DhCkD

— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 4, 2021

The links Wario64 posted no longer take you to the Alan Wake Remastered listings, but before the links were changed, IGN was able to visit each link and verify that each took you to a Rakuten Taiwan listing for the game. Below are screenshots of the PS4, PS5, and Xbox listings for Alan Wake Remastered.

As you can see in the screenshots above, the listings seem to suggest an October 5 release date. Industry analyst, Daniel Ahmad, replied to Wario64 on Twitter about an hour after Wario64 posted the links to seemingly confirm that Alan Wake Remastered is real.

"Will be announced next week," Ahmad said.

"[Next] week" might seem random, but Ahmad could be alluding to the upcoming 2021 PlayStation Showcase happening next week on September 9. The listings do show a PlayStation 5 version and the showcase is set to go over the "future of PS5." Perhaps Alan Wake Remastered is in that future.

Of course, this could just be coincidence and Alan Wake Remastered might be announced at a different time independent of the 2021 PlayStation Showcase next week.

While waiting to see if Alan Wake Remastered is actually real, read about how the game appeared in Epic Games Store data back in June and then read our thoughts on the recent Control-Alan Wake crossover in IGN's Control: AWE Expansion review. Check out our thoughts on the original Alan Wake in IGN's Alan Wake review after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director, James Wan, has shared a new look for Jason Momoa's Aquaman on Instagram.

Wan, who directed the first Aquaman and is directing Aquaman 2, posted two pictures of Momoa as Aquaman today. The first image posted by Wan is another look at Momoa's classic Aquaman suit, which is the one he wore in the first Aquaman movie.

The second image, however, is a first look at Aquaman's new Stealth suit

As you can see in the Instagram post above, the Stealth suit is sleek and significantly less flashy than Aquaman's classic suit. It drops the larger forearm armor pieces and leg armor pieces in favor of a more streamlined suit.

"Atlantean tech based on cephalopod's camouflaging ability," Wan wrote in the Instagram caption. "[Aquaman 2 writer David Leslie] and I were inspired by the 80s 'blue suit.'”

As noted by Wan, the suit's darker colors are reminiscent of the camouflaging abilities of cephalopods. Perhaps Aquaman's Stealth suit will have camouflaging abilities as well. Only time will tell for now.

We might learn more about this Stealth suit during the 2021 DC FanDome event, which includes a new look at Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The FanDome showcase is also set to feature a new trailer for The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, as well as new looks at Black Adam, The Flash, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

While waiting for DC FanDome, read about why James Wan returned to direct Aquaman 2 despite the fact that he doesn't like to repeat himself and then check out why Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom might explore a similarly lost underwater civilization known as Necrus. Read our thoughts on the first Aquaman movie in IGN's Aquaman review after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director, James Wan, has shared a new look for Jason Momoa's Aquaman on Instagram.

Wan, who directed the first Aquaman and is directing Aquaman 2, posted two pictures of Momoa as Aquaman today. The first image posted by Wan is another look at Momoa's classic Aquaman suit, which is the one he wore in the first Aquaman movie.

The second image, however, is a first look at Aquaman's new Stealth suit

As you can see in the Instagram post above, the Stealth suit is sleek and significantly less flashy than Aquaman's classic suit. It drops the larger forearm armor pieces and leg armor pieces in favor of a more streamlined suit.

"Atlantean tech based on cephalopod's camouflaging ability," Wan wrote in the Instagram caption. "[Aquaman 2 writer David Leslie] and I were inspired by the 80s 'blue suit.'”

As noted by Wan, the suit's darker colors are reminiscent of the camouflaging abilities of cephalopods. Perhaps Aquaman's Stealth suit will have camouflaging abilities as well. Only time will tell for now.

We might learn more about this Stealth suit during the 2021 DC FanDome event, which includes a new look at Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The FanDome showcase is also set to feature a new trailer for The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, as well as new looks at Black Adam, The Flash, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

While waiting for DC FanDome, read about why James Wan returned to direct Aquaman 2 despite the fact that he doesn't like to repeat himself and then check out why Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom might explore a similarly lost underwater civilization known as Necrus. Read our thoughts on the first Aquaman movie in IGN's Aquaman review after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings punched through a box office record with its massive $71.4 million domestic opening weekend.

This news comes by way of Variety, which reports that the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film had the second-best pandemic-era domestic opening weekend. Its $71.4 million box office bow comes in just behind Black Widow's $80.3 million opening weekend debut and just above F9's $70 million opening haul.

Shang-Chi also broke a record held by 2007's Halloween for over a decade, according to Variety. Halloween previously held the record for the best Labor Day opening weekend, raking in $30.6 million. The long Labor Day weekend, which has notoriously been a slower weekend at the box office, was no match for Shang-Chi, however, as the movie more than doubled Halloween's box office haul.

Its $71.4 million Labor Day opening weekend now holds the record for the best Labor Day opening weekend ever at the box office. The movie pulled in an additional $56.2 million internationally, too, bringing the global box office total to $127.6 million.

Shang-Chi was released exclusively in theaters, unlike Black Widow, a movie released day-and-date on Disney Plus (which Scarlett Johansson is now suing Disney over). As Variety notes, many speculated that Black Widow's Disney Plus release might have caused box office numbers to be lower than what they would have been had the movie been released exclusively in theaters.

However, Shang-Chi seems to have performed about as well as Black Widow in theaters, although it's important to note that Shang-Chi is a new MCU character while Black Widow featured Johansson's Natasha Romanoff that has been in the MCU for well over a decade. Marvel's Shang-Chi theatrical debut performing about as well as Black Widow's theater release is quite impressive.

According to Variety, Shang-Chi's strong reception could affect future MCU movie debuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney and Marvel have reportedly not made a decision regarding how The Eternals will debut, be it an exclusive release in theaters or a day-and-date release on Disney Plus like Black Widow.

Elsewhere, R-rated horror slasher, Candyman, dropped to second place at the box office behind Shang-Chi, pulling in another $10.5 million. It's on pace to bring its overall box office haul to $41.9 million after this three-day weekend, Variety writes.

Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy dipped to third and is estimated to bring in roughly $11 million this weekend, which would bring its grand total at the box office to $91.8 million. Paramount's Paw Patrol animated feature came in fourth and is estimated to bring in $5.2 million by the end of the long weekend. That would bring its grand total to $31.5 million.

Finally, Disney's Jungle Cruise finished in fifth. It's estimated to bring in $5.2 million over the entire holiday weekend, which would bring its grand total to $106.8 million. The movie's box office success earned it a greenlight from Disney for a sequel.

Check out our thoughts on Shang-Chi in IGN's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings review and then read IGN's breakdown of who Shang-Chi is in the MCU. Check out our breakdown of what the ten rings are and whether or not they are actually magical after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings punched through a box office record with its massive $71.4 million domestic opening weekend.

This news comes by way of Variety, which reports that the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film had the second-best pandemic-era domestic opening weekend. Its $71.4 million box office bow comes in just behind Black Widow's $80.3 million opening weekend debut and just above F9's $70 million opening haul.

Shang-Chi also broke a record held by 2007's Halloween for over a decade, according to Variety. Halloween previously held the record for the best Labor Day opening weekend, raking in $30.6 million. The long Labor Day weekend, which has notoriously been a slower weekend at the box office, was no match for Shang-Chi, however, as the movie more than doubled Halloween's box office haul.

Its $71.4 million Labor Day opening weekend now holds the record for the best Labor Day opening weekend ever at the box office. The movie pulled in an additional $56.2 million internationally, too, bringing the global box office total to $127.6 million.

Shang-Chi was released exclusively in theaters, unlike Black Widow, a movie released day-and-date on Disney Plus (which Scarlett Johansson is now suing Disney over). As Variety notes, many speculated that Black Widow's Disney Plus release might have caused box office numbers to be lower than what they would have been had the movie been released exclusively in theaters.

However, Shang-Chi seems to have performed about as well as Black Widow in theaters, although it's important to note that Shang-Chi is a new MCU character while Black Widow featured Johansson's Natasha Romanoff that has been in the MCU for well over a decade. Marvel's Shang-Chi theatrical debut performing about as well as Black Widow's theater release is quite impressive.

According to Variety, Shang-Chi's strong reception could affect future MCU movie debuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney and Marvel have reportedly not made a decision regarding how The Eternals will debut, be it an exclusive release in theaters or a day-and-date release on Disney Plus like Black Widow.

Elsewhere, R-rated horror slasher, Candyman, dropped to second place at the box office behind Shang-Chi, pulling in another $10.5 million. It's on pace to bring its overall box office haul to $41.9 million after this three-day weekend, Variety writes.

Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy dipped to third and is estimated to bring in roughly $11 million this weekend, which would bring its grand total at the box office to $91.8 million. Paramount's Paw Patrol animated feature came in fourth and is estimated to bring in $5.2 million by the end of the long weekend. That would bring its grand total to $31.5 million.

Finally, Disney's Jungle Cruise finished in fifth. It's estimated to bring in $5.2 million over the entire holiday weekend, which would bring its grand total to $106.8 million. The movie's box office success earned it a greenlight from Disney for a sequel.

Check out our thoughts on Shang-Chi in IGN's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings review and then read IGN's breakdown of who Shang-Chi is in the MCU. Check out our breakdown of what the ten rings are and whether or not they are actually magical after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.