Summary

Next Dune movie officially titled Dune: Part Three, not Dune: Messiah.
Filming for Dune: Part Three began in July 2025 with main cast members returning.
Dune: Part Three anticipated to possibly release in December 2026.

Fans waiting for more news about the third movie in the Dune franchise will be glad to know that the film has an official title.

Dune: Part One was released in October 2021 and was a huge success. Adapted from Frank Herbert's beloved sci-fi novel, which was published in 1965, the film stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides and also includes the compelling characters Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), and Chani (Zendaya). Dune: Part Two followed in February 2024. Both movies have high Rotten Tomatoes ratings and grossed hundreds of millions at the box office. Fans are also eagerly anticipating the second season of Dune: Prophecy, the TV prequel that premiered on HBO in November 2024. Now, audiences can finally find out what the Dune movie will be called.

denis villeneuve holding a camera on set, rendezvous with rama sci-fi novel cover art

Denis Villeneuve’s Next Sci-Fi Epic Makes Dune Look Easy

Rendezvous With Rama is Denis Villeneuve’s next big sci-fi challenge after Dune: Messiah—but can it truly work as a movie?

Posts 2

By Sandip Kishan Anbuselvan

Denis Villeneuve’s Movie Is Officially Called Dune: Part Three (Not Dune: Messiah)

Variety reported that the next Dune movie will be called Dune: Part Three. Before this announcement, fans expected the third movie to be called Dune: Messiah, since that is the title of the Frank Herbert novel that the film is drawing from.

Back in November 2024, Dune: Part Three star Josh Brolin said he didn't have a script for the upcoming movie, which suggested it would be a long time until it's released. Fans heard a rumor this past March that the movie would start filming in June 2025. According to World of Reel, Dune: Part Three's production began on Monday, July 7th, 2025, as Zendaya was spotted in Budapest, Hungary.

While the next movie is highly anticipated, it doesn't sound like Villeneuve is interested in continuing the franchise beyond the third film. The director, whose previous movies include the emotional sci-fi film Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, shared in a January 2024 interview with Time Magazine that the third movie "should be the last Dune movie for me." However, fans are curious if Dune 4 could still be made and if another director could take it on.

Dune Messiah was published in 1969, and the story takes place 12 years after the first novel. It will be interesting to see how the third movie handles this time jump, along with the major growth that the characters experience in the book. Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet will reprise their roles of Paul Atreides and Chani in Dune: Part Three. Florence Pugh will also play Princess Irulan again. The cast also includes Ida Brooke, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, and Jason Momoa.

While fans know that the talented Hans Zimmer will compose the third movie's soundtrack, other details are scarce. However, Variety also gave Dune fans another update: some of Dune: Part Three's scenes will be filmed using an Imax camera. As the publication noted, the upcoming Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey, will be shot only using an Imax camera, which is a huge creative feat that it apart.

Although Dune: Part Three doesn't have a release date at this time, it seems possible that it could arrive in theaters in December 2026. According to Deadline, Warner Bros. Is saving a date that month for a "Denis Villeneuve Event Film."

Rating block community and brand ratings Image

Display card tags widget

PG-13

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget

Release Date: September 15, 2021
Runtime: 155 minutes
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writers: Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, Frank Herbert
Producers: Herb Gains, John Harrison, Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr., Mary Parent, Richard P. Rubinstein, Cale Boyter, Thomas Tull, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Joshua Grode