Filming has officially wrapped on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, marking the end of a four-month shoot that began in July. The film will conclude Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic saga.
While early reports suggested the title would be Dune: Messiah, after Herbert’s 1969 novel, Warner Bros. has confirmed that the third instalment will instead follow a numbered title. This shift implies that Villeneuve could blend elements from both Messiah and its sequel Children of Dune.
Recent casting news supports that theory. Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke have joined the ensemble as Leto II and Ghanima, the children of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya). Their inclusion hints at a time jump, placing the story years after the events of Messiah and potentially setting the stage for Children of Dune.
Although plot details remain secret, Villeneuve may be drawing only briefly from the third novel, or he might be ambitiously reworking the narrative to follow the rise of the Atreides twins. The production has also taken a striking visual turn. Dune: Part Three was shot entirely on film, including 15-perf and 5-perf 65mm formats (IMAX), as revealed by Kodak. The decision, likely influenced by cinematographer Linus Sandgren’s advocacy for film, marks a departure from the digital approach used in the first two instalments.
This move promises a more organic and timeless look for the trilogy’s conclusion. Dune: Part Three is set for release on December 18, 2026, the same day as Avengers: Doomsday. With both films poised to dominate the box office, audiences might be in for another cinematic clash, perhaps one that fans will dub «Dunesday.»
