A Sci-Fi franchise that merges Star Wars and Game of Thrones will soon be seeing the end of an era, but Warner Bros. Discovery could still find a way to keep it going. Star Wars and Game of Thrones are two of the biggest pop culture sensations. The universe created by George Lucas has long reigned as the biggest sci-fi movie franchise.

As for the Game of Thrones franchise, while more recent, given how the fantasy series debuted on HBO in 2011, has quickly taken the top spot when it comes to live-action fantasy releases. Both of those franchises feature plenty of deaths, political games, complex characters, fantastical elements, and more. That said, Star Wars and Game of Thrones are still two very different franchises at the end of the day.

Not only due to how they come from different genres, but also how Star Wars is more hopeful in tone, rooted in larger-than-life worlds and elements, while Game of Thrones is darker and uses gritty realism to ground its fantasy elements and world. Well, there just so happens to be a popular movie franchise that perfectly blends those two styles of epic storytelling.

The franchise in question is Dune, which makes a lot of sense, given how Lucas clearly took a lot of inspiration from Frank Herbert’s Dune novels. Additionally, speaking to Collider on March 15, 2025, George R. R. Martin called Herbert’s Dune “one of the great, great books in the history of science fiction.” Now, the Dune franchise, which is perfect for Star Wars and Game of Thrones fans, will end an era.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Saga Ends With Dune: Part Three

After a failed attempt to kickstart a sci-fi movie franchise in 1984, Dune finally found its footing at Warner Bros. under director Denis Villeneuve. The auteur was the perfect man for the job of bringing to life the huge scope of Herbert’s novels, while making its complex characters relatable, and infusing the right dose of energy to make the slow-paced sci-fi space opera a global box office hit. Villeneuve had already directed seminal sci-fi releases like Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 before he got to adapting Dune, so the director’s genre expertise is at the forefront of why the Dune movies have succeeded.

That said, all good things must come to an end. Dune: Part Three, which will be released in theaters on December 18, marks the end of an era for the sci-fi franchise, as this trilogy finale concludes the story Villeneuve set out to tell. The director has already confirmed that he will not be back for new movies in the hit franchise beyond Dune: Part Three, and there is a chance that stars like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and more will choose to depart with him.

Additionally, Paul Atreides’ story, going from a young man trying to survive, to a messiah building an army for a revenge mission, to a tortured leader who lost his way in the upcoming Dune: Part Three will conclude this era of Dune storytelling, much like how it played out in Herbet’s sci-fi book series.

How Dune Can Continue After Dune: Part Three

While Villeneuve is leaving this Star Wars meets Game of Thrones franchise after the release of Dune: Part Three, there are two clear ways for how this expansive sci-fi universe could continue. If Warner Bros. feels inclined to adapt the other books in the Dune franchise, which are notably harder to get done, as Herbert’s writing just kept getting more and more esoteric, then Villeneuve has already said that he will plant the seeds for where the franchise could go in Dune: Part Three. There are six Dune novels written by Herbert.

That said, continuing the franchise on the big screen without Villeneuve, whose artistic vision won over millions of fans for the franchise, and the Dune movies’ core cast, as the books just keep on jumping through time, might prove itself quite hard. The road for the Dune franchise might lie on TV, where Dune: Prophecy, a prequel spinoff series that follows the origin story for the Bene Gesserit, has already been renewed for season 2. It might be just what the Dune franchise needs to keep itself fresh, telling new stories for years to come.