Summary
Dune 3is moving ahead quicker than I would have expected, and I hope that means Denis Villeneuve isn’t changing one detail fromDune Messiah’s story. After adapting the first of Frank Herbert’sDunebooks in two movies, Villeneuve is set to conclude his sci-fi trilogy with an adaptation of the follow-up novel.Dune Messiahchronicles the next chapter in Paul Atreides' life, picking up after the events ofDune: Part Two’s endingand showcasing his reign as the Emperor. Seeing this part of Paul’s life and how Villeneuve will adapt more challenging source material makesDune 3quite exciting.
The development onDune 3has progressed much faster than anticipated, though. Villeneuve initially stressed his interest in taking a break from Arrakis and making an original sci-fi movie in between sequels. However, Warner Bros. and LegendaryconfirmedDune 3shortly after the box office success ofDune 2. With a script already reportedly near completion, I’m quite surprised by how quickly Villeneuve and others appear to be moving with the next installment. There is now an expected short turnaround forDune 3that hopefully won’t change a key aspect of the story.
Dune: Part Three - Confirmation, Cast & Everything We Know
After the explosive ending of Dune 2, Dune 3 could cap off Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy by focusing on the events of the novel Dune: Messiah.
Dune 3 Is On Track To Come Out A Decade Too Early
Warner Bros. Is Hoping For A 2026 Release Date
FollowingDune 2’s success, Warner Bros., Legendary, and Denis Villeneuve appear to be plotting forDune 3to release in 2026. The signs of this began to emerge when Warner Bros. announced thatDenis Villeneuve’s next movie will release on June 10, 2025. Although the date is officially a placeholder for an untitled Denis Villeneuve movie, reports from the announcement revealed that the studios are internally prepping forDune 3to occupy this release slot. That would meanthe film comes out only two and a half years afterDune 2.
Villeneuve makingDune 3in less than three years after the prior film would align withDune 2’s development. However, the difference here comes with the source material the movies adapt.Dune 2had to happen quickly because it picked up directly afterDune’s ending. However,Dune 3is an adaptation ofDune Messiah, and the book takes place 12 years later. That is whyI thought it would make sense for the franchise if Villeneuve took a similarly long breakbefore ending the trilogy. NowDune 3will happen about 10 years too early for that to work.
Dune 3 Has To Have A Time Jump To Tell Messiah’s Story Right
Paul’s Story Needs A Gap After Dune 2
It was always unlikely that the studios would agree to let Villeneuve wait 12 years to makeDune 3. But it is still paramount that the movie retains a significant time jump.Dune Messiah’s story takes place 12 years afterDuneso that Paul could be fully established as the new Emperor of the galaxy. It allows time to pass so he and Chani can begin thinking about starting a family. Meanwhile, the passage of time plays a vital role in the creation of a rebellion against Paul and his Fremen jihad after the Holy War.
SinceDune Messiahis a less beloved book compared to Frank Herbert’s first, there are surely going to be aspects of the story, character arcs, and more that are changed. The time jump is not one of the story details that can be eliminated. Even if the time jump has to be shortened to 6 or 7 years, which is closer to how much time will pass in real life between the first and third installments,Dune 3will only work as a properDune Messiahadaptation if the universe and Paul are able to progress off-screen.
This will allow forDune 3to fully explore the state of the galaxy under Paul’s rule and what it has been like for him to accept his newfound power. Completely ignoring the time jump will lessen the impact of Paul’s arc and force various story elements to change. I have to think thatAnya Taylor-Joy’s Alia Atreides cameo inDune 2and Paul’s vision of her is a direct sign thatDune 3will have a time jump to explain Paul’s sister being so much older.
Dune 3’s Time Jump Will Help The Characters
The Characters Can Age Up With The Actors
Another reason why I wantDune 3to keep the time jump is how it helps the characters. The first two movies never explicitly revealed how old Paul, Chani, or Irulan are, but each of them are teenagers in the book. The movies seemed to age them up slightly to account for Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Florence Pugh playing them in their mid-20s. By the timeDune Messiah’s story takes place,they should all be in their 30sand have over a decade of experience in their complicated political, romantic, and personal relationships.
Dune 3’s expected main stars will be in their late 20s when filming likely begins
Dune 3could get away with only a few years passing between movies to have the actors play the characters at appropriate ages for the book. However, the characters would still lack the longtime connections that I think are necessary to tellDune Messiah’s story. Any passage of time will still allow Chalamet, Zendaya, Pugh, Taylor-Joy, and others to play their characters with more maturity and life experience than before. They aren’t a group of rising stars in their early 20s anymore, andDune 3including the time jump means the characters can feel older and more established.
