Dune 3 has now wrapped filming, according to lead star Timothée Chalamet, and here's everything you should know about the threequel, officially titled Dune: Part Three. Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi trilogy is one step closer to the end, as A-list stars join the cast (including Robert Pattinson) and an epic galactic war takes over the plot.
Based on Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah book, Dune: Part Three will take us back to Arrakis after the roaring success of Dune and Dune: Part Two. The third movie, however, will look a little different. The events of that book take place over a decade after the original novel, so life will have changed quite a lot for Paul Atreides, Chani, and the rest of the Known Universe. The first behind-the-scenes look at the Dune 3 set gave us a brief glimpse of what to expect, but there's still a lot to unpack.
Dune 3 release date
- The Dune 3 release date is December 18, 2026.
- Filming wrapped for the film on November 11, 2025.
- So far, production is on schedule, and no delays or release changes seem likely.
Dune: Part Three is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026. The threequel began filming in mid- to late summer 2025, with production wrapping in November according to lead star Timothée Chalamet.
The film arrived much sooner than we expected, probably because Denis Villeneuve decided that Dune 3 would be his very next movie. In early February 2025, he explained why: "I was expecting to do something else before, but frankly, that's the inspiration that came to my mind as I took a break this summer and was going back and finishing the story. I was really moved by the way Part Two was received by cinephiles around the world, and I felt an appetite and a desire to see more and a responsibility to finish that story."
Dune 3 plot speculation
- Currently, there is no official plot synopsis for Dune: Part 3, but it will be based on Frank Herbert's 1969 novel Dune Messiah.
- There will likely be a 12-year gap from the events of Dune: Part 2, where Paul Atreides is now the Emperor and rules most of the universe.
- We don't know what changes to the original story will be made yet, but since the novel is dense, we expect significant alterations.
Dune: Part Three does not have an official plot synopsis yet, but we do know it will be based on Herbert's novel of the same name. Most notably, the story features a 12-year gap from the events of Dune: Part Two.
Per the logline of the novel, Paul Atreides has ruled as Emperor for 12 years, and has conquered most of the known universe. However, the religious devotion he inspired has caused the death of 61 billion people across the universe. Oh, and, it's not called Dune Messiah like we thought...the film is officially titled Dune: Part Three.
Now that time jump seems like a tricky thing to navigate, and Villeneuve is not sharing his plans just yet. However, he told Vanity Fair previously with a succinct response: "That’s my problem. I know how to do that."
There are lots more interesting things that happen in Dune: Part Three, but in order to avoid spoilers, we won't go into those in depth here. If you want to know more about the exact plot details – that Dune 3 may or may not follow – read our breakdown of what might happen, according to the books.
Dune 3 cast speculation
- Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Florence Pugh are all confirmed to be returning for the new Dune movie.
- Robert Pattinson is also now confirmed to star, and it's rumored that his role will be the character Scytale.
- A number of other A-Lister stars, such as Josh Brolin, Christopher Walken, and Jason Momoa, are expected to appear as well.
Excitingly, one major actor seems to be joining the cast of Dune: Part Three as the villain. Robert Pattinson was reported to be in talks to play Scytale in April 2025. He finally confirmed his casting in November in a typically Pattinson-esque way, saying, " When I was doing Dune, it was so hot in the desert that I just couldn't question anything. And it was so relaxing, like my brain actually wasn't operating, I did not have a single functioning brain cell."
Florence Pugh has also confirmed she'll be back as Princess Irulan and Jason Momoa recently revealed he'll be returning as Duncan Idaho for the threequel. "I’m making a comeback," he teased. "Well, I’m not sure if I’m going to get in trouble or not, but it’s the same thing like Game of Thrones, you know what I mean?" he added. "If you didn’t read the books, it’s not my fault, right? Yeah, there’s going to be… I’m going to be coming back." As you may remember, Duncan died in Dune, but he does make a reappearance in Dune: Part Three – or at least a version of him does.
Rebecca Ferguson, who plays Paul's mother Lady Jessica, confirmed that she would be back for round three, too. "I am in it. Small. Dip in and out, because I'm not in the books. So I wasn't reckoning on it," she told GamesRadar+. "Denis [Villeneuve] called me and was like, 'Why do I have a feeling you think you're not in the film?' And I was like, 'Because I'm not in the books?' And he was like, 'No, mate, I have a couple of scenes…'" It looks like Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck won't have a particular large role in the movie, either. "I'm in it, but I’m not there right now," he said of filming, referring to his reduced role. There are some new additions, too: Momoa's son Nakoa-Wolf and Silo's Ida Brooke have been cast as Paul and Chani's twins.
Dune is known for its incredible cast, and it seems far more likely that the director may have some ideas about aging up his stars, rather than recasting. So, based on this, we predict that the cast will look like this:
- Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides
- Zendaya as Chani
- Robert Pattinson as Scytale
- Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica
- Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck
- Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan
- Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho
- Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV
- Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring
- Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam
- Javier Bardem as Stilgar
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides
- Nakoa-Wolf Momoa as Leto II Atreides
- Ida Brooke as Ghanima Atreides
Is Dune 3 the final movie in the franchise?
- Dune: Part Three may not be the last Dune movie in the franchise.
- Dune: Part Three will be the last Villeneuve-directed movie, though.
- Currently, no fourth Dune movie has been announced.
Dune: Part Three has not been announced as the final movie in the Dune franchise, and Herbert does have several more novels that can be adapted. However, it will be the final movie helmed by Villeneuve.
The director has been adamant about this for a long time, and recently reiterated this in a new interview. Speaking to The Wrap, he was asked to confirm if this would definitely be his final movie. "Yes. After that, it would become unhealthy," he replied.
Is there a Dune 3 trailer?
No, there is no Dune: Part Three trailer yet, but we expect one soon since filming has now wrapped. With Dune: Part Two, the first trailer was released about 10 months before the film's release – although it's worth noting that the release date was later delayed. It was about six months before the original release date. We expect Dune: Part Three will follow a similar timeline. With that in mind, we are looking at a teaser likely heading our way sometime in June or July 2026.
You can stream Dune now on HBO. Check out our guides to the best HBO movies and the best HBO shows to watch now.
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