Denis Villeneueve has a surprising admission about his upcoming Dune sequel and the Frank Herbert novel it’s based on.
“Dune Messiah is probably my favorite book of the series,” the director revealed at a Dune: Part Three press event, referring to the second installment in Herbert’s sci-fi series. “It’s a very dark book, beautiful book. [And] Dune: Part Three is one of my most personal films, if not my most personal film. It’s a film that is very close to me and very contemporary.”
Picking up nearly two decades after the events of Dune: Part Two, the third installment finds Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) dealing with the fallout of his actions as emperor, his relationship with his lover Chani (Zendaya), and a potent new adversary in Scytale (Robert Pattinson).
“I’m not afraid to die,” Paul says at the end of the first teaser trailer for the film. “But I must not die… yet.” Watch below:
“If the first movie was more of a contemplation — like a movie about a boy exploring a new world — and the second one was a war movie, this one is a thriller,” Villeneuve told journalists. “It’s more action-packed, more muscular than the others.”
Villeneuve assembled cast members Zendaya, Pattinson, Javier Bardem (who plays Paul’s devoted Fremen ally Stilgar), and Anya Taylor-Joy (Paul’s now-grown sister, Alia) for the in-person event, while Chalamet, Florence Pugh (Empress Irulan), and Jason Momoa (Hayt aka the resurrected Duncan Idaho) beamed in via pre-taped segments.
“I can’t wait for fans to see this,” said Zendaya. “These movies have meant so much to me over the years. I’ve literally been able to grow up in my entire 20s doing them, so they have such a special place in my heart. … I’m very excited, very grateful to be a part of it.”
After revealing that he watched the previous movies “multiple times” in theaters, Pattinson turned to Zendaya and referred to the other 2026 movie they’re starring in. “I think I was talking to you on the set of The Drama, and I was like, ‘How do I get in one of those movies?'”
“I know a guy,” Zendaya chuckled.
For his part, Chalamet hailed Villeneuve as “the master of cinema” and a “great artist.” “Denis always says, ‘Vive le cinéma!’ And with this third film, I think he has done just that — a true act of cinema,” the actor said.
With the arrival of the first footage of Dune: Part Three, let’s get up to speed on everything we know about the film.
What’s the backstory?
Despite being released during the Covid-19 pandemic, the first Dune still managed to take in a formidable $410.7 million at the worldwide box office. Dune: Part Two did even better in 2024, grossing $714.7 million worldwide. Both movies also proved hugely popular with critics and awards voters. The first film scored an 83 on Rotten Tomatoes and won six Oscars out of its 10 nominations. The follow-up had a 92 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and earned two Oscars from five nominations.
Throughout the press tours for both installments, Villeneuve was upfront about his ultimate goal: to complete Paul’s story by adapting Dune Messiah.
While the director initially planned on taking a break before starting Dune: Part Three, he changed his mind. “I felt an appetite for the third movie that I was not expecting,” Villeneuve recounted. “When you make a series of movies like this, you are in relationship with the audience, and I felt a responsibility to finish the story. … I was supposed to do another movie in the meantime, but I kept awaking in the middle of the night with images inspired by Dune Messiah. They kept coming back, kept coming back. And I said, ‘Oh, all right, let’s do it.'”
When did production on Dune: Part Three take place?
Social media went into overdrive in April 2025 as photos emerged of Chalamet with a shaved head, apparently for the third installment.
Villeneuve officially confirmed the news with a photo he took himself and shared by the official Dune Instagram account in July.
At the March 15 press event, Villeneuve confirmed the film had wrapped production. “It’s cooking, it’s going well. The movie is alive,” he said. “The movie is mostly done in the editing room, but visual effects on these movies … require a lot of postproduction. We are in full speed in postproduction, and after this I’m running out to the editing room again.”
Was Dune: Part Three shot with Imax cameras?
Yes, but not entirely. There was initial speculation that the third film would follow in the path blazed by Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey and film the entirety of the threequel in the large format. But Villeneuve has since clarified that only some sequences will use the cameras. Because Villeneuve has changed the visual palette for this chapter, he brought in Oscar-winning cinematographer Linus Sandgren (La La Land, First Man) to take over from Greig Fraser.
How did Dune: Part Two end?
Paul successfully deposed the Emperor of the Known Universe, Shaddam Corrino IV (Christopher Walken), and took his oldest daughter, Irulan, as his consort. However, the other major houses of the universe refused to accept Paul’s ascension to the throne, sparking a war for control of the empire.
Meanwhile, the disillusioned Chani left Paul behind and returned to the deserts of Arrakis.
What’s going to happen in Dune: Part Three?
Dune Messiah takes place 12 years after the first book, with Paul firmly entrenched as the emperor. During his time in power, he’s become a religious figure in the eyes of his followers, especially the Fremen of Arrakis. But there are still threats to Paul’s rule, as well as plots to overthrow him and finish the destruction of House Atreides that began more than a decade earlier.
“The world changed in those years,” Villeneuve explained. “We are visiting new sets, new places. I brought the camera in areas of the planet [Arrakis] that you guys have not seen before, and then we are visiting new planets as well.”
For creative purposes, Villeneuve has upped the elapsed time between films. “There’s a time gap, 17 years, where we see Paul dealing with the consequences of having too much power, and trying to figure out how to get out of this cycle of violence,” the director explained.
“It’s a quite intense story, but at the heart, it’s still a love story. The heartbeat of the film is still the relationship between Paul and Chani. There’s something about the way their relationship evolves that is very personal to me.”
Who’s coming back for Dune: Part Three?
In addition to Chalamet, Zendaya, Pugh, and Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson is back as Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica. Villeneuve confirmed that due to the time jump, the actors will be aged via makeup. A series of new character posters (below) shows their updated appearances, with Chalamet giving serious Sith vibes.
As noted, Momoa returns despite the death of his Duncan Idaho in the first movie. “I’m back,” Momoa trumpeted. “Listen, I loved Dune 2. It was amazing. But there was one thing missing, obviously, one key ingredient.” Duncan’s return, as a character called Hayt, is explained within the novel, which we won’t spoil here.
Taylor-Joy made a surprise cameo in Dune: Part Two as a vision of Paul’s grown sister, Alia. One reason the film timeline was changed was to allow more time for Alia to age into Taylor-Joy.
“Alia has a very intense blessing-curse situation,” the actress said. “She carries the weight and the wisdom of generations and generations in her head. She’s never in a singular conversation. It’s kind of all everything everywhere all at once.”
“The one thing that she really feels most strongly about is her love and devotion to her brother, because that is the only person who’s ever made her feel like she makes sense,” Taylor-Joy continued. “He’s understood her from before she was even born, and she will do anything for him to varying degrees of insanity.”
Who’s joining the cast in Dune: Part Three?
In April 2025, reports emerged that Pattison was in negotiations to join Dune: Part Three in a major role. It was later confirmed that he would portray Scytale, a villainous player in the plot to prematurely end Paul’s reign. Scytale is a master of manipulation, and targets those closest to Paul.
“He’s an unusual character in the book,” said Pattinson. “I mean you can’t really tell whose side he’s on, which is kind of what makes him quite interesting. He’s not a conventional bad guy. … He might even be a good guy. Who knows? But it’s an extremely fun character to play.”
When will Dune: Part Three be released?
The film is set for release on Dec. 18, 2026 and will be eligilbe for the 2027 Oscars.
In the meantime, fans should be able to satisfy themselves with Season 2 of HBO Max’s Dune: Prophecy, a prequel series set 10,000 years before the events of the first film and focusing on the Bene Gesserit, the supernatural priestesses from whom Paul descends. While HBO Max has yet to confirm a release date, the network has said that the series should return in 2026, presumably before Dune: Part Three hits theaters.
What are its awards prospects?
2026 is loaded with prestige sci-fi in the form of Project Hail Mary and Steven Spielberg‘s Disclosure Day. Based on Villeneuve’s track record, though, Dune: Part Three should be part of the Oscar conversation. He’s a four-time nominee, and the previous two installments collected 15 total nominations, winning eight below-the-line statuettes. Chalamet hopes to notch his third consecutive Best Actor nom, while Zendaya and the rest of the cast could also attract some awards attention. At the very least, the threequel should be competitive in the craft races, and — in the best-case scenario — could enjoy a clean sweep like Peter Jackson‘s Return of the King.
Will there be a Dune: Part Four?
It’s possible, especially if Part Three hits at the box office. The third novel, 1976’s Children of Dune, is set nine years after Messiah and focuses on Paul’s children. However, Villeneuve has already signed on to direct the next James Bond film for Amazon MGM Studios. If Warner Bros. decides to continue the Dune saga — Herbert wrote six novels in his original saga, and the Dune library has stretched to nearly 30 books after his death — a new director would be taking the helm.
This story was originally published on April 9, 2025; it was updated on July 10, 2025 with new details on the production and again on March 17 with the teaser trailer and interview quotes.
