'Dune' sequel is officially happening: 'We're excited to continue the journey!'

"Warner Bros. will distribute the film and help finance it, though Legendary is the primary money behind the movie and owns the rights to the book series," Variety relayed. "The film is expected to have an exclusive theatrical run, and Legendary will likely make that point iron-clad after Dune debuted simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max last week. The unorthodox distribution pattern was a pandemic-era concession by Warner Bros., but one that caused an uproar when it was unveiled in 2020. Dune: Part 2 will hit theaters on Oct. 20, 2023."

Adapted from Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi novel and directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, "a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people."

Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa fill out the star-studded cast.

The goal and plan was always to split Dune into two parts, as Villeneuve explained to Variety in September. The one-time Oscar nominee said then he felt "optimistic" about getting a sequel and expected it would "be an insane playground for me."

Chalamet teased what to expect in a separate Deadline interview from late August: "Chani [Zendaya] will play a huge role in the next film. I don’t know if there’s a script yet, but just based on the book, along with Lady Jessica [Rebecca Ferguson], they have a lot to do together, let’s put it like that."

Watch the Dune trailer below.