Denis Villeneuve says his “break” is over and he will be “back behind the camera faster than I think” to film the third “Dune” movie.
Quebecois director Baz Bamigboye told Deadline that Dune: Messiah will begin filming in 2026. It appears the timeline has changed a bit since we last heard an update. “Messiah” was originally rumored to be filming in 2025, but it now appears that Zendaya’s schedule is fully booked for next year with “Euphoria” and “Spider-Man 4” filming back-to-back.
“I’m in the writing zone now,” Villeneuve tells Bamigboy, referring to the movie “Dune: Messiah.” He adds that the main actors in the third film are Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor-Joy.
Villeneuve had originally said that “Messiah” would not be his next film. However, THR reported in June that Villeneuve may have changed his mind, and now wants to complete the “Dune” trilogy by 2026. He’s currently working on the script and closing out the cast. It’s the project Villeneuve is currently working on.
It went so far as Warner Bros. She recently teased an upcoming untitled film from Villeneuve, scheduled for release on December 18, 2026 according to her calendar. It is described as an “event film”, and no further details were provided. This movie was by all accounts a “Dune 3”, but as I mentioned above, due to scheduling conflicts, we’re now looking at a 2027 release date.
It will be interesting to see exactly how Villeneuve will attempt to direct Dune: Messiah. Frank Herbert’s sequel is not as audience friendly as the first book. If Villeneuve sticks to the source material, it will be a very different film from the first two. Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, now a powerful dictator, would be completely unlikable. Storytelling is not popular stuff – it’s more serious and less action-packed.
