Dune: Part Three is an upcoming epic space opera film directed by Denis Villeneuve, from a screenplay he wrote with Brian K. Vaughan. Based on the Dune novels by Frank Herbert, it is the sequel to Dune: Part Two (2024) and the third of a trilogy of films developed by Legendary Pictures. Villeneuve produced the film with his wife and business partner Tanya Lapointe, Legendary's Mary Parent and Cale Boyter, and Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr. Timothée Chalamet leads an eleven-actor cast as Paul Atreides, a despotic emperor forced to contend with the fallout of his ascent to the throne, including threats of an insurgency and visions of widespread pandemonium.
Villeneuve envisioned a trilogy of films as early as 2021. He commenced work on the script to develop a story concluding Paul's character arc in late 2023, and Legendary commissioned Dune: Part Three the following year. The producers then began hiring filmmakers for the production. Principal photography started in July 2025 and wrapped that November, taking place in Hungary and the United Arab Emirates. Hans Zimmer composed the film's score. Dune: Part Three is scheduled for release in the United States on December 18, 2026.
Contents
Premise
Dune: Part Three is set nearly two decades after Paul Atreides seized control of the Imperium. Now a ruthless Emperor, Paul must face the consequences of his reign as old allies return, terrifying new threats emerge, and betrayal lurks in every shadow. Haunted by visions of Imperial collapse and the reappearance of his long-lost love, Paul is drawn into a sweeping conspiracy, with Chani at the heart of its unfolding mystery. As rebellion brews and enemies close in, Paul must confront the true cost of power and the fate of those he loves the most.
Cast
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the Padishah Emperor and head of House Atreides
Zendaya as Chani, a young and rebellious Fremen warrior and Paul's former romantic partner
Jason Momoa as Hayt, a ghola created in the image of Duncan Idaho, the deceased swordmaster of House Atreides and one of Paul's mentors
Florence Pugh as Irulan, Paul's wife and the daughter of former Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV
Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Reverend Mother and Paul and Alia's mother
Isaach de Bankolé as Farok, Paul's former Fedaykin death commando, now disillusioned with Paul
Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam, a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother and the former Emperor's Truthsayer
Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides, Paul's sister
Robert Pattinson as Scytale, a Tleilaxu Face Dancer who strives to execute a plot to dethrone Paul.
Javier Bardem as Stilgar, the leader of the Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr
Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, weapons master of House Atreides and one of Paul's mentors.
Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke respectively portray Leto II Atreides and Ghanima Atreides, Paul and Chani's twin children.
Production
Development
Legendary Entertainment vice chair Mary Parent and her producing partner Cale Boyter bought the film rights to Frank Herbert's science fiction novel Dune (1965) from the Herbert estate in 2011. It took another five years to finalize the transfer of the rights as a consequence of turnover, changes in legal representation, and several other legal hurdles. In January 2017, the producers hired Denis Villeneuve under a multi-picture deal as director of Dune (2021), the terms of which stipulated the novel's adaptation in two films.
Villeneuve was considering a trilogy of films as early as 2021. Interviews around that time involving him or other Dune filmmakers, such as Jon Spaihts, further fueled media speculation about a third film based on Dune Messiah (1969). Villeneuve said such a film would be his final Dune project, one that he intended to develop after Timothée Chalamet had aged. One reason was because he wanted to take a break from filming to rest and focus on other ventures. He may have also sought this choice to correspond with the twelve year passage of time in Dune Messiah.
Following the release of Dune: Part Two (2024), Legendary executives began discussing the production of a sequel. The studio approved development of Dune: Part Three in April 2024. That June, Warner Bros. Pictures announced a December 18, 2026 release date for an undisclosed film directed by Villeneuve, which The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline Hollywood suspected was Dune: Part Three. After slightly over a year, the film's title was revealed in the media.
Villeneuve called Dune: Part Three "more action-packed and tense" than his other films because it focuses on Paul navigating life as a ruler with absolute power. The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) credits the director and Brian K. Vaughan as the writers of the film's finished script. The filmmakers commenced work on the script in August 2023, lasting until at least September or October 2024. Their main objective was to resolve the long-running narrative about Paul. The script modifies the book story by extending the timeline jump to seventeen years. Chalamet said Villeneuve exerted the most creative freedom in Dune: Part Three.
Casting
The producers were hiring actors by June 2024. Most of the ensemble reprise roles from earlier Dune films, including Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem. Among the new actors in the cast are Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Isaach de Bankolé. Pattinson's casting as the villain Scytale had been speculated since April 2025 and was confirmed the following June. Pattinson said he was drawn to Scytale because he was morally ambiguous, a trait he felt made the character unlike the usual villain. The actor finished filming his scenes in November 2025. Dune: Part Three will also feature Ida Brooke and Momoa's son Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, in his acting debut, playing Ghanima and Leto Atreides II, Paul and Chani's twin children.
Filming
Principal photography began on July 8, 2025, at Origo Film Studios in Budapest. It was previously expected to begin in 2026. In August 2025, the Abu Dhabi Film Commission confirmed that filming would take place in Liwa Oasis later in the year. A third "psychedelic unit", consisting of two French-Canadian filmmakers, helped create "some crazy images" in the film. Linus Sandgren replaced Greig Fraser as director of photography; Fraser left due to a preexisting commitment to Sam Mendes's The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event (2028).
IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond suggested that the entire film would be shot with IMAX cameras, though Variety reported that this was inaccurate as only select sequences were shot with IMAX cameras. The film is primarily shot on 65 mm film stock, with select sequences shot on 15/70 mm IMAX film. However, scenes of the desert were shot with IMAX-certified digital cameras to preserve the "brutality" of the environments, according to Villeneuve. This differs from Dune: Part One and Part Two, which were entirely shot with IMAX-certified digital cameras and then printed onto 35 mm film stock, before being re-scanned digitally to emulate shot-on-film photography. Filming wrapped on November 11, 2025.
Post-production
Joe Walker returned as the editor from the previous two films.
Music
In February 2024, Hans Zimmer was confirmed to be returning from the previous installments to compose the film's score.
Release
Warner Bros. will release Dune: Part Three in US theaters in IMAX on December 18, 2026, preceded by select insider screenings starting on December 14. The film's exhibition schedule starts with a three-week exclusivity period in IMAX theaters, which it received over Avengers: Doomsday. It will then expand to other premium formats such as Dolby and ScreenX. IMAX 70 mm tickets first went on sale at 19 locations in April 2026 and sold out within minutes. Another ticket sale was arranged on August 18, 2026, with many reporting long waits in online queues or ticketing site crashes as a result of high demand.
A short preview of the film was shown at IMAX 70 mm screenings of The Odyssey, with a message from Villeneuve thanking director Christopher Nolan.
