The Dune franchise might be deep into the sands of Arrakis for the long haul. When the third Denis Villeneuve-directed Dune film is released, the current cinematic version of Frank Herbert’s saga will have gone further than most previous Dune adaptations have ever made it before. Other than the 2003 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries, Children of Dune — which adapted the second and third books — we’ve never had Dune sequels continue the story like this.
But what is the third new Dune film all about? What is the meaning of Dune: Messiah? Who is in the cast? What is the plot? And perhaps, most importantly, will the release date of Dune Messiah really coincide with Avengers: Doomsday? Here’s everything we know about Dune Messiah, the movie.
Spoilers ahead for the book versions of Dune Messiah (1969) and Children of Dune (1976).
Is Dune 3 Coming Out?
Yes! Director Denis Villeneuve is confirmed to be working on the upcoming third Dune movie, a sequel to 2024’s Dune: Part Two. Because the first two movies adapted the first novel, the third movie will adapt the second book, Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah. In terms of length, Dune Messiah is much shorter than Dune, meaning there are far fewer pages to adapt, hence, only one movie. After Dune: Part Two hit theaters, Denis Villeneuve seemed to vacillate for a time on whether or not he’d immediately begin working on the next Dune film.
According to Deadline, filming for Dune 3 will begin very soon, in the summer of 2025.
What is the Dune 3 Release Date?
If Dune 3 really does complete filming this year, it is projected for a release date on December 18, 2026. Coming from a variety of sources, this release date is mostly conjecture and has not been 100 percent confirmed by Warner Bros, Legendary, or Villeneuve.
Is Dunesday Real?
On May 22, 2025, The Hollywood Reporter noted that Avengers: Doomsday, originally scheduled for May 2026, is now slated for December 18, 2026. In theory, this would put Dune 3, tentatively titled Dune:Messiah, and Avengers: Doomsday in competition on the exact same day, leading many movie fans to declare this the next “Barbenheimer” moment; a time when two massive films hit theaters at the exact same time, dubbing this hypothetical double release “Dunesday.”
However, The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the announcement about Doomsday, did not make this claim at all. That’s because the idea of “Dunesday” is maybe real, but because Messiah’s release date is still somewhat conjecture, it’s not 100 percent confirmed. Yet.
Who is the Cast of Dune 3?
Because the film features many of the surviving characters from Dune: Part Two, nearly all the cast is expected to return. Here’s who we can expect in the cast of Dune: Messiah.
- Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides
- Zendaya as Chani
- Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan
- Javier Bardem as Stilgar
- Anya Taylor-Joy (who appeared in a flash forward in Part Two) as Alia Atreides, Paul’s sister
- Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica
- Josh Brolin as Gurney
- Jason Momoa as Hayt/Duncan Idaho (after perishing in Dune: Part One, Duncan is resurrected as a ghola in Dune Messiah.)
Robert Pattinson has also been rumored to be playing a villain in Dune Messiah. Many fans and insiders assume that he would be playing Scytale, a shape-shifting “Face Dancer.”
What is the Plot of Dune 3?
The final moments of Dune: Part Two showed Stilgar leading an army of loyal Fremen to wage a holy crusade on Paul’s enemies throughout the galaxy. This more or less lines up with the original Dune book, though the capitulation of the combined forces of the great houses is a little different. Dune: Part Two also ended with Chani, furious that Paul was marrying Irulan for political reasons, striking out on her own on a sandworm, which was a unique scene created for the film.
That said, despite the tonal departure from the book in the ending of Dune: Part Two, Denis Villeneuve has said that Dune Messiah will be pretty faithful to the Frank Herbert novel. “It’s not that different,” he said at the 2025 Saturn Awards. “At the end of the book, Chani’s heart is broken.”
So what happens after Paul’s conquest ends? That’s the plot of Dune Messiah. The novel picks up 12 years after Paul’s jihad has concluded, and focuses on a conspiracy to overthrow him. The novel features Alia, Paul’s sister, as a major character, who, at the end of Dune: Part Two, hadn’t even been born yet. (This was another major change in the 2024 film.) So, because Alia is a teenager in the book, and we know Anya Taylor-Joy is playing her in the movie, it’s possible that the film will alter the timeline a bit to make Alia older. (There’s a precedent for this: the 2003 Children of Dune rendered Paul and Chani’s kids, Leto II and Ghanima, as young adults in the story, rather than outright kids like they were in the novel.)
The story also features a pseudo-clone of Duncan Idaho, a ghola created by the Bene Tleilax, a sneaky group of genetically altered humans. The ghola Duncan has creepy, metallic, nonhuman eyes and is involved in the conspiracy to destroy Paul.
The novel also focuses heavily on Paul’s prescient visions, trapping him in a predetermined fate, which he fears will result in Chani’s demise during childbirth. This one specific detail is very similar to the journey of Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith, though George Lucas never publicly acknowledged being inspired by Dune Messiah 20 years ago.
Is Dune 3 the last Dune movie?
Denis Villeneuve has made it clear that he “always saw a trilogy” when it came to making his Dune films. He’s also pointed out that adapting Messiah would complete the story of Paul Atreides, which is vaguely true. Messiah is certainly the last Dune novel in which Paul is a main character, though he does appear in the third book, Children of Dune.
In fact, some rumors suggest that an adaptation of Children of Dune, or some other kind of fourth Dune movie, might be happening, and that movie could be directed by Gareth Edwards. Clearly, the live-action Dune saga could continue without Villeneuve. The prequel series Dune: Prophecy is already gearing up for a second season. Meanwhile, hypothetical sequels beyond Children of Dune would require all-new characters, meaning that, other than Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho, for most of the cast, Dune Messiah would be the end of the sandwormy road.
