Robert Pattinson says being on the set of Dune 3 was like "having your own theme park."
"The desert is just another level. There’s this one sequence where I’m in this spaceship, on a gimbal, on the edge of a sand dune, and we had this 350-foot-long model of a sandworm," Pattinson tells The New York Times. "The scale of this stuff is just unbelievable, you’re having your own Dune theme park, where the gimbal is going upside down and flying, and this is not like work at all. There are no negatives. Apart from having your sweat drained out of the top of your head, and getting like bulbous sweat bubbles. But even then, I didn’t even really notice them. He’s so easy to work with, Denis, it’s never really a stress."
Pattinson joins the third and final installment in director Denis Villeneuve's trilogy as Scytale, a genetically engineered shapeshifter who is part of the conspiracy to take down Paul Atreides (who is now in his villain era). Pattinson reportedly asked Zendaya, while working together on A24's The Drama, how he could "get in one of those Dune movies." The rest, as they say, is history.
Dune 3 takes place some 19 years after Paul gains control of the Imperium, and sees the now-emperor face the consequences of his reign. The cast includes Zendaya as Chani, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho.
Dune 3 hits theaters on December 18 (the same day as Avengers: Doomsday). For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies in 2026 and beyond.
