Director Denis Villeneuve, in an interview with SFX Magazine, spoke about the film "Dune: Part Three," based on Frank Herbert's novel "Dune Messiah," and admitted that bidding farewell to the franchise was very emotional.
Initially, the director intended to return to Paul Atreides' story only after several years. However, audience interest convinced him not to delay production. According to Villeneuve, he filmed the first two parts primarily for himself, while he created the trilogy's finale for the fans:
"I expected to make this film only in a few years, but I felt the desire and responsibility to finish the story now. I feel this interest from the fans. So, if I made the first two films for myself, I made this one for the audience. I gave a thousand percent to create the best film for the biggest screen."
The third part will take place 17 years later. Paul has become emperor, and his terrifying visions have come true. Now he must face the consequences of his own decisions and the holy war he unleashed. Villeneuve calls the sequel a story of redemption and promises the most dynamic film:
"I didn't want to repeat my own steps. In the first part, we followed a boy discovering a new world. It was a meditative and contemplative film. The second part became a war film. The third will be a thriller. It's more dynamic, faster, more intense, and definitely more emotional."
The main emotional thread of the film will remain the relationship between Paul and Chani. Villeneuve describes it as a story of "broken love." It was the joint scenes of Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya that particularly reminded the director that his journey through Arrakis was coming to an end:
"It was hard for me to gather everyone in front of the camera one last time and say goodbye to Paul and Chani in the desert. Over the years, we've become a small family. This is ten years of our lives."
Zendaya, who was also present at the interview, added that the past years have greatly changed Chani. The heroine retained her desire to protect Arrakis and her people, but she finally lost her former youthful view of the world:
"It seems the years haven't been kind to anyone in 'Dune.' For Chani, they were especially difficult due to her principles and fierce desire to protect her planet and her people. These were very harsh years, but she still has something to fight for. We meet Chani at a completely different stage of life, when her former youthful view of the world has already disappeared."
In "Dune: Part Three," Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, and Anya Taylor-Joy will return to their roles. Robert Pattinson, who plays Scytale, also joined the cast.
The film is scheduled to premiere on December 18, 2026.