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Dune 3 Fast-Tracked as Denis Villeneuve's Next Movie Sets December 2026 Release
Denis Villeneuve appears poised to continue his epic journey across the desert sands of Arrakis. Warner Bros. has officially set a release date for his upcoming film rumored to be Dune 3.
Warner Bros. has officially revealed the date of release for Denis Villeneuve's much-awaited upcoming film, which is supposed to be Dune 3. Although there were early rumors that Villeneuve would be moving on to something else, the celebrated filmmaker is still very much interested in Frank Herbert's sci-fi world.
Villeneuve has been attached to Herbert's epic since he turned the 1965 novel into two movies, the 2021 blockbuster, and Dune: Part Two, a 2024 sequel. Furthermore, he served as executive producer for the upcoming prequel series Prophecy.
Is Dune: Part 3 fast-tracked?
Warner Bros. has set December 18, 2026, as the release date for Villeneuve's untitled film. The announcement comes in the months after "Dune: Part Two" became a huge box office hit. An insider from Legendary Pictures and the studio told Deadline that this time slot is set aside for Dune 3 what has been described as the last installment in the sci-fi saga and the script and casting processes are currently in progress.
Dune: Part 2 grossed $711.8 million globally. Until the release of Inside Out 2, it was the highest-grossing movie of 2024 and had the year's biggest opening with $82.5 million domestically. The franchise features stars like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem, with new additions including Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken. The original film also starred Oscar Isaac and Jason Momoa.
Despite being simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max, Villeneuve's debut Dune film made $407.5 million during the pandemic in 2021. It was a huge hit. This success justified a more ambitious sequel to conclude the story of the original book.
Warner Bros. hasn't stated clearly that Dune 3 is Villeneuve's next project, but given the popularity of Part Two, it seems likely that the franchise will continue. One of the biggest hits of the year, the sequel was released less than three years after its predecessor.
It makes sense creatively for Villeneuve to make Dune 3 his next project. He stated that he started writing the third film in April 2024 and that it would be his last installment in the series. With more than a year and a half until the release of the untitled project, fans can anticipate the shortest gap between Dune movies to date.
Although it's obvious that Dune 3 is being developed for financial and fan-driven reasons, there are worries regarding the creative challenges imposed by the short production time. There's concern that the story's depth won't be able to fully develop at such a fast pace, which could lead to a finished product that falls short of the high bar set by its predecessors.
What did Denis Villeneuve say about Dune 3?
While participating in a Dune: Part Two press conference in South Korea last year, filmmaker Villeneuve said that the dream to make a third movie in the franchise a dream and the storyline makes sense to him. he also said that for his mental sanity, he might do something in between, but his dream would be to visit the sci-fi universe one last time.
“I don’t know exactly when I will go back to Arrakis,” Villeneuve said. “I might make a detour before just to go away from the sun."
Villeneuve first told EW in 2021 that his aim all along was to make three Dune movies. He noted that he always envisioned three movies and not because he wanted to make it a franchise but because of the vastness of the Dune story. To justify the story arc, three movies are needed.
When the director spoke to Empire magazine, he said that if ever he wanted to make a third film in the saga, it needed to be real. Otherwise, he will not do it. He also told the press that he was confident Part Two was a better movie than Part One, so perhaps the same will be true of Part Three.
Stars Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, who play Chani and Paul Atreides in the movie, expressed their interest in reprising their roles in a third Dune movie.
Zendaya mentioned in an interview with Fandango that she believed there were no better hands to handle it with care and love than Villeneuve's, expressing excitement and anticipation. She also noted that whenever he was ready, his perfectionist nature would ensure that he wouldn't share anything unless he was fully prepared, and that was being respected.
Chalamet expressed that the idea excited him greatly. He conveyed that if the time and opportunity arose to complete the story with Messiah, there was a shared enthusiasm among all involved.
Dune Part 2 is streaming now on Max.
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