Denis Villeneuve set to adapt harrowing nuclear war movie

After scoring back-to-back hits with Dune, and Dune: Part Two, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve appears to be eyeing his next project, and it's one of truly harrowing scope.

After dominating the global box office (Dune: Part Two has raked in over $630 million so far against a budget of $190 million), Villeneuve is looking at adding to his acclaimed filmography that includes Blade Runner: 2049, Arrival, Sicario, Dune and of course, Prisoners, with a film that will be taking a look at the end of the world as we know it.

If the fanaticism and god-complex-gone-wrong of Dune wasn't enough horror to contemplate for you, imagine the real-life impacts of global nuclear catastrophe. That's what Villeneuve is looking to tackle next as he begins talks to work with Legendary on a cinematic adaptation of the Annie Jacobsen's Nuclear War: A Scenario [via Variety].

Jacobsen's Pulitzer Prize finalist book shows the terrifying impact of the world's nuclear arsenal, and how easy it would be for a chain-reaction of events to take place based on a single scenario.

For example, did you know that if North Korea launched ICBMs at the USA, that the USA's counterattack barrage would have to fly over Russia to reach Pyongyang? And that US officials would have to convince Russian officials that it wasn't aimed at them - as they take flight? And that a handful of men have the power to end the world based on ego and miscalculation?

Terrifying stuff - and that could possibly be the subject of Villeneuve's next project, which will have audiences shrinking into their seats - and ideally, the same effects as previous movies on the subject matter, which actually helped reduce nuclear arms worldwide.

For 'fans' of Threads, and The Day After, you've got this to 'look forward to', but speaking of men with the power to end the world, if you're just waiting to see what happens next with Paul Atreides and his Fremen, Legendary has also picked up discussions with Villeneuve over a third instalment of the Dune series that will likely cover the contents of Dune: Messiah.

So if you thought that the world was ending after Dune: Part Two, it's not. Well, until Nuclear War: A Scenario drops in cinemas worldwide anyway.

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