After Warner Bros announced a new Denis Villeneuve “event” movie coming in December 2026, speculation began that it was Dune 3 (presumably an adaptation of Messiah) coming.
Deadline's report indicates that the untitled movie appears to be Dune 3, at least that is the expectation. It will likely be an adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel Dune: Messiah, the second in the series.
Hurdles will have to be cleared in order for the Messiah adaptation to get off the ground. Currently, the script is being written and the cast is being locked in for production. If both of those things can come together, that means Dune 3 will come in a little over three years.
Why it's surprising
While this is certainly an exciting development, it is surprising. The movie was confirmed by Warner Bros and Legendary. But Villeneuve previously sounded like he wanted a strong script to be in place before signing on.
Perhaps the movie has a script. Villeneuve co-wrote the first movie's script with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts. For the sequel, Part Two, Villeneuve co-wrote it with Spaihts.
Crazier things have happened. If the cast and script can get locked down soon, they can get the production started. They have over two years to get it filmed, edited, and everything else that goes into filmmaking. We will see if this report is true and if Villeneuve and Co. can pull it off.
The Dune franchise
Denis Villeneuve kicked off his Dune series in 2021 with the first movie. It adapted the first half of Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi epic, Dune. Unlike David Lynch's 1984 adaptation, Villeneuve did not attempt to condense the novel into one movie.
The first movie was a success despite being a part of Warner Bros' day-and-date release strategy. They implemented the release plan for the pandemic — putting select movies in theaters and on the then-HBO Max on the same day.
Despite this, Dune still grossed over $400 million worldwide. It opened to $41 million domestically and made a total of $108 million domestically during its theatrical run.
Luckily, the sequel topped that in almost every way. Dune: Part Two was the highest-grossing movie of 2024 before Pixar and Disney's Inside Out 2 topped it in two weeks.
Part Two debuted at $82.5 million domestically — over double that of its predecessor. It continued strong and made over $282 million domestically and another $429.7 million overseas.
Throughout its theatrical run, Part Two made $711 million. Inside Out 2 had a record-breaking opening and has made over $860 million in just two weeks. Still, Part Two beat out heavy hitters like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ($567 million), Kung Fu Panda 4 ($543 million), and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ($387 million).
What are they about?
The Dune movies follow the rise of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). In the second movie, he continues his rise to power and seeks revenge against those who tore his family apart.
Aside from Chalamet, the movies feature a star-studded ensemble. Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, and Javier Bardem starred in both of the movies. Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, and Christopher Walken made their franchise debuts in Part Two.
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