Production on Dune: Messiah, the third instalment of Denis Villeneuve’s epic sci-fi franchise, has officially begun filming amid reports that Timothée Chalamet has shaved his head.
The movie, which is based on the second novel of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed series of books, has reportedly started production in the Hungarian capital of Budapest on Monday (7 July).
World of Reel reports that Zendaya, who plays Chani in the film, has arrived in Budapest for what is said to be an “extensive, multi-location, multi-month shoot”.
Meanwhile, the film’s lead star, Timothée Chalamet, has been spotted in St Tropez, France with his girlfriend Kylie Jenner. The Wonka actor was seen wearing a baseball cap on his head, with a green bandana wrapped around it.
Eagle-eyed fans of Chalamet noticed that the actor’s trademark wavy locks appeared to be missing, causing speculation that he may have shaved his head.
“OMG BUZZ CUT!!?” exclaimed one excited fan. Another person added: “TIMOTHÉE HEAD SHAVED CONFIRMED. I AM GUTTED.”
The Club Chalamet X/Twitter account, which is dedicated to updates about the actor, added: “Timothée has been spotted in Saint-Tropez today. He's wearing a baseball cap with a green scarf on top of that cap, to cover the fact that his hair has been shaven to a crew or buzz cut for Dune 3. He has shaven his Marty Supreme moustache too. After this pit stop, he should be on set shortly to begin filming his final installment of Dune.”
Timothée has been spotted in Saint-Tropez today. He's wearing a baseball cap with a green scarf on top of that cap, to cover the fact that his hair has been shaven to a crew or buzz cut for Dune 3. He has shaven his Marty Supreme moustache too. After this pit stop, he should be… pic.twitter.com/xJdrXW5dKv
— Club Chalamet 💫 (@ClubChalamet) July 7, 2025
Marty Supreme is an upcoming sports comedy-drama from director Josh Safdie, which stars Chalamet in the lead role.
The previous Dune film, Dune: Part Two, earned more than $700m (£555m) worldwide and five Oscar nominations.
Although the last film concluded the first novel, Villeneuve has expressed a desire to make the second book into a film to wrap up Paul Atreides’ character arc.
Meanwhile, Villeneuve has been recruited to direct the next James Bond film, following the acquisition of the franchise by Amazon MGM Studios.
“Some of my earliest moviegoing memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr No with Sean Connery. I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory,” Villeneuve said in a statement released in June.
“I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honour. Amy, David, and I are absolutely thrilled to bring him back to the screen. Thank you to Amazon MGM Studios for their trust.”
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