Dune: Part Two was one of the most epic film releases of 2024, but its ending raised a lot more questions than it answered. Now that Paul has accepted his role as Muad’Dib, what happens next? Is he good or evil? Will he and Chani reunite?
The good news is that answers will soon be coming in Dune: Part Three, which is currently in development with Dune: Part One and Part Two director Denis Villeneuve. Keep reading for everything we know so far.
Will there be a Dune: Part Three?
Yes, there will be a third Dune movie. Variety confirmed in April 2024 that Dune: Part One and Part Two director Denis Villeneuve is developing the third film with Legendary PIctures, which produced the first two movies.
Related: We Ranked the 101 Best Science Fiction Movies of All Time, From ‘Metropolis’ to ‘Dune’
What is the release date for Dune: Part Three?
Dune: Part Three is still in the early stages of development, so no release date has yet been announced, but the prevailing theory seems to be that it will hit theaters in December 2026. Deadline reported in June 2024 that Warner Bros. (which distributes the Dune franchise) is holding a date for something called “Denis Villeneuve Event Film.” Unless he’s about to shock the world with a third Blade Runner movie, then this mysterious “event film” is probably Dune: Part Three.
Who is in the cast of Dune: Part Three?
No official casting announcements have been made yet, but it’s possible that main cast members including Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Florence Pugh could return. The caveat here is that Dune: Part Three is likely based on Dune Messiah, which is set 12 years after the events of the first book (and the first two movies), meaning the filmmakers might want to age up their actors.
Denis Villeneuve, doesn’t seem worried about his core cast looking a little too young. “That’s my problem,” he told Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men podcast when asked about the time discrepancy. “I know how to do that.”
What is Dune: Part Three about?
No official plot details about Dune: Part Three exist yet, but it’s easy to speculate based on the fact that the movie is likely based on Dune Messiah. That book begins 12 years after the events of the first Dune novel, with Paul Atreides having ruled as emperor for that time — and it has not gone great! He’s unleashed a holy war that’s resulted in the deaths of 61 billion people, and now the Bene Gesserit, Spacing Guild, and Tleilaxu are conspiring to overthrow him. He’s also having trouble conceiving an heir, despite the fact that he has both a wife (Princess Irulan) and a concubine (Chani).
What book is Dune: Part Three based on?
Dune: Part Three seems to be based on Dune Messiah, which is the second book in Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction series. It was published in 1969 and is followed by 1976’s Children of Dune.
Who is directing Dune: Part Three?
Denis Villeneuve is developing the project with production company Legendary Pictures and will likely return as the director and cowriter (though his official role has not been confirmed).
Even before Dune: Part Two started filming, Villeneuve said he planned to make a third movie. “I always envisioned three movies,” he told Entertainment Weekly in October 2021. “It’s not that I want to do a franchise, but this is Dune, and Dune is a huge story. In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies. That would be the dream. To follow Paul Atreides and his full arc would be nice.”
Still, the director notably used the word “if” when discussing Dune: Part Three on Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men podcast in September 2024. “It’s important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych,” he explained of the first two movies. “It was really a pair of movies that will be the adaptation of the first book. That’s done and that’s finished. If I do a third one, which is in the writing process, it’s not like a trilogy. It’s strange to say that, but if I go back there, it’s to do something that feels different and has its own identity.”
Is there a trailer for Dune: Part Three?
Dune: Part Three is still in the early stages of development, so there’s not a trailer just yet.
Will Timothée Chalamet be in Dune: Part Three?
While no casting announcements have been made for Dune: Part Three, it seems very likely that Timothée Chalamet will return as Paul Atreides. Dune Messiah, the book that will serve as the third movie’s source material, is about Paul’s rule as emperor in the years following the events of Dune, so it’s impossible for the film to exist without the character. That being said, Messiah picks up more than a decade after Dune, so it’s possible that the filmmakers could decide to recast someone older as Paul.
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Will Zendaya be in Dune: Part Three?
Zendaya’s character, Chani, was not too pleased with Paul at the end of Dune: Part Two, but in the books, their history is far from over. Chani would almost certainly be in the third film, but again, she could be played by someone older than Zendaya. The actress, however, has said she’d be thrilled to return.
“Would we be down? I mean of course,” Zendaya told Fandango in January 2024. “Any time Denis calls it’s a yes from me. I’m excited to see what happens. I started [reading] Messiah and I was like, ‘Whoa, I’m only shooting the first movie. Let me just go back to the first one.’ It’s so much to take in, but there’s no better hands with better care and love for it than Denis.”
Related: Zendaya’s Chani Takes Center Stage in the Cleverly Adapted ‘Dune: Part Two’
Will Jason Momoa be in Dune: Part Three?
Jason Momoa’s character, Duncan Idaho, died during a major battle sequence in Dune: Part One, but book readers know that — spoiler alert — he comes back to life in Messiah. Assuming this plot point makes it into the third film, Momoa could return as the swordmaster.
Will Rebecca Ferguson be in Dune: Part Three?
Rebecca Ferguson plays Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica, who isn’t in Dune Messiah. In the intervening years between Dune and Messiah, she returns to the Atreides home planet of Caladan, away from all the mess happening on Arrakis. If Ferguson were to return for Dune: Part Three, the film’s screenwriters would have to invent some scenes for her.
Will Dune: Part Three be Dune Messiah?
All signs point to yes. Denis Villeneuve has explicitly mentioned Dune Messiah when talking about his plans to make a third movie, and it’s the next book in the Dune series (the first two movies were both based on the first book).
Related: Everything You Need to Know Before Watching ‘Dune: Prophecy’
