Denis Villeneuve wants to return to the desert planet Arrakis one last time. After that, the Dune series is over for the director.
Dune: Part Two took cinemas by storm in 2024, leaving audiences and critics alike largely thunderstruck with enthusiasm. It’s not for nothing that the sci-fi spectacle has secured the top spot on our best films of the year list. For director Denis Villeneuve, adapting Frank Herbert’s seminal novel was a lifelong dream that he hopes to continue with Dune: Messiah. After that, it’s over for him.
For Denis Villeneuve, the sci-fi series ends with Dune 3: Messiah
As Villeneuve explained in a new interview with The Wrap, his long-planned break after Dune: Part Two was shorter than expected:
I’m still inspired. That’s what has surprised me the most. I thought that after Dune: Part Two, I would need a break. I thought I would write a few other scripts or do a few other things before returning to Dune: Messiah. But the images kept popping into my head, the appetite is still there. […] I still want to go back to Arrakis.
However, this third exploration of Frank Herbert’s Dune and the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is supposed to be the last for Denis Villeneuve, even though Herbert’s series of novels has spawned many more titles after Messiah: “After that, it becomes unhealthy.”
Watch another trailer for Dune: Part Two here:
Villeneuve has stated several times that Paul’s story only comes to a true conclusion for him with Dune: Messiah. Accordingly, this film adaptation is an essential extension of the sci-fi series for him, even if it is not to be understood as the end of a trilogy, as he revealed to Vanity Fair in September 2024: “Dune: Messiah will be something new that I will approach with its own cinematic philosophy.”
When will Dune 3 be released in theaters?
An official release date for Dune 3 has not yet been announced. However, a Villeneuve mystery project is scheduled by Warner Bros. for December 2026. Numerous clues currently suggest that this could be Dune: Messiah. Accordingly, the sci-fi hit could reach us in theaters as early as December 18, 2026.
More: All info about Dune 3
Until then, you can take a look at the prequel series Dune: Prophecy, which started at the end of 2024. It also introduces a sci-fi element that will be important for Dune: Messiah. All six episodes of season 1 are available to stream in this country on WOW with a subscription.
