Dune 3 is co-written by the writer of one of the best comics of the 21st century, Saga's Brian K Vaughan

Director Denis Villeneuve is known as an auteur filmmaker whose fingerprints are on almost every aspect of his movies. But he's not shy about bringing in collaborators, as revealed in the credits panel of the first trailer for Dune: Part Three, which names fan favorite comic creator Brian K. Vaughan as the co-writer of the upcoming sci-fi epic.

Considering Villeneuve's expansive take on the even more expansive novels he's adapting, it makes sense he'd bring in a co-writer to adapt Dune: Messiah, the second book in the series, into a single film rather than splitting it up again.

In turn, it makes sense that he'd bring in Brian K. Vaughan, who has experience in TV as well as long form sci-fi storytelling. His sci-fi comic Saga, created with artist Fiona Staples, is a beloved comic that makes waves every time a new run of issues hits the stands.

Saga focuses on the generational history of a family whose children carry on their parents' legacy while falling into galactic intrigue, with an off-beat sense of style and weirdly compelling characters. It's a space opera like few others, and it obviously shares some DNA with Villeneuve's take on the Dune mythos so far.

The first trailer for Dune: Part Three shows of brief flashes of all manner of characters and subplots, including the introduction of Robert Pattinson's enigmatic Scytale, the reveal of Duncan Idaho's Ghola, and a conversation between Timothee Chalamet's Paul Atreides and Zendaya's Chani that will ring some big bells for those who have read the Dune books.

Dune 3 arrives in theaters on December 18. In the meantime, check out our guide to this year's other most exciting upcoming movies.