First Dune 3 trailer teases an older Paul Atreides, Robert Pattinson's new villain, and battles aplenty on Arrakis and beyond

Dune: Part Three | Official Teaser Trailer - YouTube

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The first trailer is finally here for Dune 3 – and it looks like a suitably big, bold ending to the sci-fi epic trilogy.

In the new clip, which you can watch above, war is raging across the galaxy, and Paul Atreides is about to become a father. In a tender moment with Chani, she tells him that if the baby is a boy, she'll name him Leto after Paul's late father.

Otherwise, though, it's all battle and bloodshed. Paul laments that he's struggling to do what's best for his family and keep them safe and asks his mother, "How did father do it?" Lady Jessica replies, "Your father never started a war."

We also get glimpses of Robert Pattinson in suitably freaky form as the film's bleach-blond villain, and a dark-haired Alia, Paul's younger sister, who was still in utero in the last movie. They grow up so fast.

Denis Villeneuve is back in the director's chair for the final installment of his epic sci-fi trilogy, based on the novels by Frank Herbert. Returning cast members include Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Florence Pugh as Irulan, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho.

Pattinson, meanwhile, is joining the cast as Scytale, a new villain. "He's an unusual character in the book," the actor said. "I mean, you can't really tell whose side he's on, and it's kind of what makes him quite interesting."

"On this third one, all the great shit you see on screen is from freedom of movement and freedom of choice," Chalamet recently said of the threequel. "And with Denis, we really had a good rhythm. It’s the eeriest one. It’s a big swing."

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