Steven Spielberg is returning to the science-fiction genre with this summer’s “Disclosure Day,” and he’s starting his press tour by singling out another sci-fi franchise for praise.

Gracing the cover of Empire magazine, Spielberg declared Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune” films some of his favorite sci-fi movies ever made. Villeneuve has “Dune: Part Three” (based on Frank Herbert’s “Dune Messiah”) releasing later this year.

Steven Spielberg is a huge fan of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films. He calls them some of his all-time favorite sci-fi movies and praises how faithfully Villeneuve adapts Frank Herbert’s novels, similar to how Guillermo del Toro respected Frankenstein.

After Dune: Part Two came out, Spielberg joined Villeneuve for a Q&A and said the sequel is “one of the most brilliant sci-fi films I’ve ever seen.”

He also called Villeneuve one of the greatest “builders of worlds,” alongside legends like Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, and James Cameron.

Spielberg even singled out the sandworm-surfing scene as “one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Ever!”

The critical acclaim for “Dune: Part Two” was widespread among top directors.

Christopher Nolan, who moderated an FYC conversation with Villeneuve, praised the film as “a miraculous job of adaptation.”

Nolan highlighted how Villeneuve managed to not only condense but also expand and deepen the narrative complexities of the second half of Herbert's book, creating an incredible conclusion that burrowed further into the world-building beyond the original text.

Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” is scheduled to open in theaters on June 12, while Villeneuve’s much-anticipated “Dune: Part Three” is set for release on December 18.