The spice must flow: Regarding Dune: Part 3, here's everything we know

The biggest movie of the year basically ends on a cliffhanger. Here’s what we know about the still unannounced Dune: Part 3 (a.k.a. Dune Messiah)

By Matt Schimkowitz | March 6, 2024 | 7:24pm

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The spice must flow: Regarding Dune: Part 3, here's everything we know

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This article discusses the plot of Dune: Part 2. Reader discretion advised.

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If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place. A spice drought is coming. Dune: Part 2 is currently the biggest movie of the year, rallying people around the worthwhile cause of saving large-format photography. Unfortunately, like so many blockbusters of late, Dune ends on a bum note, shunting the consequences of Paul’s decision to abandon the Chani and Fremen and join his white brethren on planet Caucasia. So what next? Chani hops on her Shai-Hulud and surfs into the sunset, screaming about that moody little weirdo who keeps interrupting her fun with friends by asking, “What are you laughing about?” That can’t be how the Dune saga ends. Paul finally said the titular line!

Okay, calm down. Let’s look at the facts. Obviously, there will be more Dune. Hollywood wants a new franchise more than a Harkkonen wants spice, and people aren’t tired of this one yet. So, let’s look at what we know about Dune: Part 3.

When will Dune: Part 3 come out?

The short answer is: We don’t know. However, Legendary CEO Josh Grode told The Hollywood Reporter that the studio is “actively engaged” in the film.

Previously, director Denis Villeneuve has expressed a “desire to have a third one” but doesn’t want to rush it. “The danger in Hollywood is that people get excited and only think about release dates, not quality,” he told The Times last month. He’s often discussed “the dream” of turning the series into a trilogy. In December, he said, “The screenplay is almost finished, but it is not finished. It will take a little time. There’s a dream of making a third movie. It would make absolute sense to me.”

Moreover, the post-production process of these movies takes years to complete. At a screening of Dune: Part 2 last month, Denis Villeneuve said that even if he started on Dune: Part 3 tomorrow, we wouldn’t see it for a “couple of years.” Unfortunately, he has also expressed interest in taking a short break from Arrakis.

“I don’t know exactly when I will go back to Arrakis,” Villeneuve said. “I might make a detour before just to go away from the sun. For my mental sanity, I might do something in between, but my dream would be to go a last time on this planet that I love.”

What is Dune: Part 3 called?

As of now, the unannounced film has no name. The movie finishes the story from the first Dune novel, sharing its title across two movies. For consistency’s sake, we wouldn’t be surprised if the next installment were called Dune: Part 3, but some fans have already begun calling it by the name of the book it’s likely based on: Dune: Messiah.

Villeneuve teased his version of Dune: Messiah last summer, hinting at the next film’s plot without spoiling it.

“Dune: Messiah was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero, which is not what [author Frank Herbert] wanted to do,” Villeneuve told Empire. “My adaptation is closer to his idea that it’s actually a warning. After that, the books become more esoteric.”

Who will star in Dune: Part 3?

No one has been cast in the film just yet, but we’d be shocked if Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, or any of the still-living primary cast were cut from the next movie. But you never know. Why weren’t John Goodman and Rick Moranis in Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas? Hollywood is a tricky business.

As for newer cast members, Denis Villeneuve said he “would love to make Dune: Messiah just to work with [Anya Taylor-Joy] and Florence [Pugh] more. Those actresses are so inspiring. They give me chills and the will to do another one.” It’s just a shame he cut child Alia from Dune: Part 2. We were looking forward to seeing a child with the adult voice and consciousness of Anya Taylor-Joy.