- Dune: Messiah set 12 years after Dune: Part 2
- Denis Villeneuve expected to direct
- Expected to shoot early 2026
Dune: Part 3 is on its way, with series star Timothée Chalamet expected to return to Arakkis to close out director Denis Villeneuve’s immaculately realised sci-fi trilogy.
It hasn’t been all that long since audiences last visited author Frank Herbert’s spice world. After kick-starting the franchise with 2021’s Dune starring Chalamet as young hero Paul Atreides and Zendeya as the mysterious Chani, Villeneuve upped the anti with his second installment Dune: Part 2 in early 2024.
Roping in new names like Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken, the sequel expanded the filmmakers’ vision of Herbert’s sprawling space drama all while setting the scene for an upcoming trilogy capper.
Based on Herbert’s second book in the series, Dune Messiah, Dune: Part 3 was confirmed to be in development in April 2024, with a possible release date teased in the months after that announcement.
What else do we know about Dune: Part 3? Read on for all the information we have so far…
When will Dune: Part 3 be released?
At the time of writing Dune: Part 3 doesn’t have a confirmed release date.
Reports have suggested that Villeneuve’s third Dune film might land in December 2026 after IMAX revealed that an untitled Dune movie helmed by the filmmaker was set to land within the same timeframe.
This news matched up nicely with other suggestions that seemed to have Dune Part 3 pegged for an 18 December 2026 release window. However, despite all of these reports, nothing has been made official just yet.
However, news confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter in late October 2024 suggested that production on Dune: Part 3 isn’t expected to start until 2026. According to the outlet, this later-than-planned shoot date is due to delays surrounding Marvel’s Spider-Man 4 in which Zendaya plays MJ Watson.
This could mean that the movie’s release date could be pushed into 2027 – but nothing’s for certain just yet.
Despite this news, Villeneuve is clearly keen to get going. Speaking to Deadline in October 2024, he revealed that he was set to go behind the camera again sooner rather than later, after initially saying he might take a bit of a break between Dune: Part 2 and its follow-up.
This would make sense, as in Herbert’s world, Dune Messiah takes place a number of years after the events of Dune: Part 2. “I’m in the writing zone right now,” the director told Deadline, with the outlet keen to point out that he was wary not to call the film Dune: Part 3.
Instead, he said that his first two Dune movies are “like one entity. It’s a movie made in two parts.” With this, perhaps we can expect Dune: Part 3 to go by the moniker Dune Messiah?
Until we get an official announcement from Warner Bros, we won’t know for sure.
Later in the same article, Villeneuve dogged a question about the release date for his third Dune film.
“These movies take a lot of time to be made, so it’s best not to say out loud when I might shoot,” said the director, glancing to his eagle-eyed publicist who was also present during the interview. “Unfortunately, I’m supposed to shut up,” he laughed.
Is there a trailer for Dune: Part 3?
With Villeneuve’s third Dune movie yet to receive the official go-ahead, cameras are yet to roll which means there’s no footage for Dune: Part 3 to enjoy just yet.
If suggestions of a late 2026 release date are correct, then perhaps we’ll start to see some footage in late 2025. Keep checking back though – as soon as it’s available, you’ll find it here.
Who will star in Dune: Part 3?
No cast list for Dune: Part 3 or Dune Messiah has been released but according to a recent interview with its director, a handful of familiar faces are set to return.
These include Chalamet as ‘Chosen One’ Paul Atredes, Zendeya as his guide and Fremen tribal warrior Chani, Pugh’s Princess Irulan and Anya Taylor Joy’s Alia Atreides, a character who made a surprise appearance in part 2.
“They have to return,” Villeneuve told Deadline. “They are with the main cast when it happens. And more worms. What can I say?”
While no official casting details have been revealed, we can ascertain that some other Dune characters would return for part 3 based on which roles feature in Herbert’s novel. If we go by this ruling, we can expect to see Charlotte Rampling’s Gaius Helen Mohair and Javier Bardem’s Stilgar return for one final adventure.
However, it’s Pugh and Joy who may take centre stage in Dune Messiah. “I introduced Chani in Dune and then she becomes one of the main characters in Part Two,” Villeneuve told Moviephone in early 2024.
“I do the same with Florence, I just introduced her in Part Two and if there’s a Dune Messiah, she becomes one of the main characters.”
What is the plot of Dune: Part 3?
Dune: Part 3 will be based on Dune Messiah, the second instalment of Herbert’s six-part Dune series.
The story is set 12 years after the events of Dune: Part 2, which saw Atreides work alongside the tribal Fremen people to wage war on House Harkonnen and avenge his fallen family members.
Speaking of the threequel, Villeneuve has expressed an interest in doing something a little unexpected.
“Like Herbert did with Dune Messiah, I think it’ll be a great idea to do something completely different,” he told Deadline.
“The story takes place like 12 years after where we left the characters at the end of Part Two. Their journey, their story is different this time, and that’s why I always say that while it’s the same world it’s a new film with new circumstances.”
Elsewhere in the same interview, the director confirmed that his third movie would finish both Paul Atreides’ story “arc” and his involvement with the wider universe, despite Herbert penning four more Dune stories and spin-off series Dune: Prophecy also in the works.
When it comes to the movie’s plot, Dune Messiah sees Paul forced to come to terms with the long-standing ripple effect that his holy war to topple the Harkonnens has had on the wider universe.
By trying to bring an end to the fighting, Herbert’s hero is forced to make a choice that could change the future of everything.
