DUNE: PART THREE Officially Begins Filming; Denis Villeneuve Shares First Production Still

DUNE: PART THREE Officially Begins Filming; Denis Villeneuve Shares First Production Still

Warner Bros. has announced that cameras are now rolling on Denis Villeneuve's third and final(?) Dune movie, which will not be titled Dune: Messiah after all...

By MarkCassidy - Jul 09, 2025 08:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Dune
Source: Via SFF Gazette

Cameras are now rolling on the third and final Dune movie (with Denis Villeneuve at the helm, at least), which will not be known as "Dune: Messiah" as we had assumed based on previous comments from the filmmaker.

Villeneuve confirmed that Dune: Part Three is now filming with a production still spotlighting the sands of Arrakis.

“First, it’s important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych,” Villeneuve said of the first two movies in a recent interview. “It was really a pair of movies that will be the adaptation of the first book. That’s done and that’s finished. If I do a third one, which is in the writing process, it’s not like a trilogy. It’s strange to say that, but if I go back there, it’s to do something that feels different and has its own identity.”

Villeneuve has stated that he has no intention of helming any more movies in the franchise, but that doesn't mean Warner Bros. will stop making them!  According to a recent rumor, the studio is planning to move forward with at least one more Dune movie, and they might be looking at Gareth Edwards (Rogue One, Godzilla, Jurassic World Rebirth) to take the helm.

The first two movies were big successes, but a fourth chapter would still be somewhat surprising given the direction Frank Herbert's saga goes in after the second book.

New cast addition for Part Three include Robert Pattinson as the villainous Skytale, with Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke as the twin children of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya), Leto II and Ghanima.

These characters are only introduced towards the end of Frank Herbert's second novel, before playing much larger roles in subsequent books. Given the ages of the actors playing the twins, this would obviously indicate that Villeneuve plans to incorporate at least some elements of Children of Dune

Jason Momoa will also return as a "Ghola" of Duncan Idaho, as will Anya Taylor-Joy, who is set to play a much larger role as Alia Atreides.

The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on Dune: Part Two, the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning Dune. 

The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (Wonka, Call Me by Your Name), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Malcolm & Marie, Euphoria), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame, Milk), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis, Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood), Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Black Widow, Little Women), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Love and Thunder), Oscar winner Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter,), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), Léa Seydoux (James Bond, Crimes of the Future), with Stellan Skarsgård (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Assassin’s Creed), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Being the Ricardos).

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

DUNE: MESSIAH Reportedly Casts Nakoa-Wolf Momoa & Ida Brooke As Leto II & Ghanima Atreides - SPOILERS
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DUNE: MESSIAH Reportedly Casts Nakoa-Wolf Momoa & Ida Brooke As Leto II & Ghanima Atreides - SPOILERS

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Simonsonrules
Simonsonrules - 7/9/2025, 8:40 AM
And starring this picture of Anya Taylor Joy.
UltimaRex
UltimaRex - 7/9/2025, 8:42 AM
Kinda OT, but I wonder what a Gareth Edwards Brave and The Bold would look like...
BrainySleep
BrainySleep - 7/9/2025, 8:48 AM
Is Pattinson confirmed? Love the casting if that's true (like all the casting to be fair)
JacobsLadder
JacobsLadder - 7/9/2025, 8:55 AM
It will be interesting to see where this goes since the movies were "loosely" based on the book, especially the second one. Paul's sister is an incredible character in the books. I'm not sure how Chani fits into all this considering how Part 2 ended. I trust DV. Why Lucasfilm hasn't given him a SW movie yet is beyond me.
TheNewYorkerr
TheNewYorkerr - 7/9/2025, 9:31 AM
@JacobsLadder - She don't fit. That B*tch is ‘a hater.
mountainman
mountainman - 7/9/2025, 9:31 AM
@JacobsLadder - Paul’s sister did play a part in the first book, but she was such a young child that her being left out wasn’t too big of a deal. They could very easily just adapt her story more or less as is from this second book.

Chani is a bigger deal. With how they changed her story in the 2nd movie, it will be difficult to get her back closer to the book story.

Either way I’m excited for this. Messiah is a great book that I think gets too little love because it is light on action and how Paul is seen is changed from the first book. I’m most interested to see how the GA reacts to Paul and his legacy after the jihad. I think they can add action in by showing the jihad that occurred off page between the first and second books.
JacobsLadder
JacobsLadder - 7/9/2025, 10:27 AM
@mountainman - I'm interested in hearing what my 26-year-old son thinks about the first book. My parents liked it more than me and I wonder if I will like it more than him. It's a mouthful, but loves world-building so it's right up his alley.
mountainman
mountainman - 7/9/2025, 10:54 AM
@JacobsLadder - I wish I would have read it when I was younger. By the time I did, I had read a lot of fantasy and scifi and it felt derivative. But I know it wasn’t when it came out and wouldn’t have been to me had I read it when I was young.

I love the universe and series overall, but the first Dune just has so many story beats that have been told elsewhere (many of which were likely inspired by Dune). Messiah is where the world really expands and Herbert starts to flesh out what he was really trying to say.
JacobsLadder
JacobsLadder - 7/9/2025, 11:22 AM
@mountainman - I feel the same. We're seeing Sci-fi in reverse. Dune inspired a lot of pretty cool stuff over the years.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 7/9/2025, 2:25 PM
@JacobsLadder -
They did as good a job as possible adapting the book to film. The compressed timeline from the time the Atriedes are wiped out to Paul ascending took years in the book and they did it in 6 months in the movie. Chani changed somewhat but for the better, I think. That second book is different and delves more into the negative aspects of Paul being a god, in a sense.

It's gonna piss off the pedestrians who haven't read the book. No uplifting battle at the end to tie things up.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 7/9/2025, 2:26 PM
@mountainman -
2nd book is more palace intrigue and less battles. It will be completely different and GA may not understand it.
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 7/9/2025, 3:09 PM
@JacobsLadder - I wouldn't be surprised if Lucasfilm had approached him and he didn't want to do one. I can't imagine they'd let him just do his thing without interferinng and I can't imagine he'd have any interest in doing something that he doesn't have complete freedom on.
mountainman
mountainman - 7/9/2025, 4:27 PM
@Goldboink - My hope is that they feature parts of happens between the first and second books to add action and help inform why Paul is in the mindset he’s in at that point.
JacobsLadder
JacobsLadder - 7/9/2025, 4:35 PM
@Patient2670 - you're probably right. Disney doesn't deserve him. It would be epic though. That actually would bring me back, for a movie at least.
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 7/9/2025, 6:23 PM
@JacobsLadder - I have no doubt that he'd make a fantastic Star Wars Movie. And I guess you never know for sure, stranger things have happened. I mean, I wouldn't have expected him to be doing the next James Bond either.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 7/9/2025, 8:55 AM
Was he afraid of upsetting the religious nuts by calling it messiah?

I think he might incorporate some children of dune into this towards the end
Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 7/9/2025, 9:26 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - Probably a studio decision but that's very likely the reasoning
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 7/9/2025, 9:28 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - The book (from what I understand) doesn't have the best reputation, so they may want to avoid any negativity associated with it, especially if the director plans on making major changes to its plot.
TheNewYorkerr
TheNewYorkerr - 7/9/2025, 9:28 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - why don’t you ask him. Shoot him a text.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 7/9/2025, 9:29 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - I tend to think putting too much religion in a title can be offputting to folk that don't like too much/any religion in their content not just ticking off religious nuts but also it makes it sound like the third part of the story of the first two films this way thus more must see conclusion rather than making it sound like a slightly seperated thing they could maybe skip and w8 to stream.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 7/9/2025, 9:32 AM
@TheJok3r - I've read the first 4 dune books and loved messiah. I don't get the hate
Polaris
Polaris - 7/9/2025, 9:34 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - Idk but I think it fits better with the previous movies this way rather than going from part 2 to messiah.
mountainman
mountainman - 7/9/2025, 9:47 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - Messiah gets hate for 2 main reasons:

1) It’s more about philosophy and ideas than the traditional heroes journey and action

2) Some people didn’t like the change in perspective towards Paul and the Fremen. They are painted in a different light than the first book.

Personally it’s my second favorite book in the series, only behind God Emperor. Herbert put some amazing ideas into that series and the first Dune barely scratches the surface.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 7/9/2025, 10:01 AM
@mountainman - agreed man. Will be interesting to see what decisions they make for the screen adaptation
mountainman
mountainman - 7/9/2025, 10:12 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - I think a lot of people in our world have war fatigue. If they pull it off well, Paul’s internal conflicts in Messiah could resonate very well with audiences.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 7/9/2025, 2:28 PM
@SteviesRightFoo -
He has discussed Children as being too weird to adapt to a movie, which it kind of is.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 7/9/2025, 2:33 PM
@Goldboink - probably 🤣
dracula
dracula - 7/9/2025, 9:03 AM
Wonder who will take over for Children of Dune
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 7/9/2025, 9:12 AM
But it's not Dune Part Three.
Part Two covered the rest of that book.
S'kinda dumb.
Polaris
Polaris - 7/9/2025, 9:36 AM
@ObserverIO - Dune the book, yeah, but for Dune the film trilogy this sounds better imo. For someone who doesn't know the books order messiah may sound like an spin-off or something
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 7/9/2025, 9:54 AM
@Polaris - good point. Think that's why Children of Dune will also be called Part Four then, given it's really the end of the Paul saga.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 7/9/2025, 10:25 AM
@Polaris - That's a good point.

But they obviously called the second one Dune Part Two because they split the first book up into two parts. Like the last two Harry Potter films or the last two Twilight films.
Polaris
Polaris - 7/9/2025, 10:54 AM
@bkmeijer1 - Exactly
Polaris
Polaris - 7/9/2025, 10:59 AM
@ObserverIO - True, but that works because it's the end of a saga and because those books had subtitles, so it's deathly hallows part 1 and 2, and you can also call them HP 7 and 8.Same for Twilight. Dune the fist book is just Dune and I'm sure the GA would call messiah Dune 3 anyway
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/9/2025, 9:23 AM
Cool , looking forward to it since I have liked Denis’s take on this series so far!!.

I had heard Pattinson was just rumored for now but if he is in this as the new main antagonist in Scytale then that’s exciting and possibly the element I’m most looking forward.

User Comment Image

Anyway, I’m assuming after this Villeneuve moves onto Bond?.
TheNewYorkerr
TheNewYorkerr - 7/9/2025, 9:25 AM
Thank god. This is good news. We’ll finally get another great movie. Sadly we’ll have to wait till 2026 for them to come out.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/9/2025, 9:47 AM
Off topic:
@KingPatel
@MarkJulian
@RorMachine

Wednesday Season 2 trailer

?si=ANEExeNPDvuc0fod
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 7/9/2025, 9:55 AM
But why is it called Part Three if Villeneuve wants it to be it's own thing?

Anyway, Gareth Edwards for a Part Four would be really cool. Do hope that if that happens, the focus stays on Paul and they leave out the bit where Leto II becomes a sandworm.
MrDandy
MrDandy - 7/9/2025, 10:12 AM
This will be the hardest one to adapt. But he has my confidence that he’ll stick the landing.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 7/9/2025, 12:18 PM
@MrDandy - Hardest of the three, but I don't envy any who try to adapt those after it, I mean I love at least close to source accurate in the main with most things if realistically possible but...
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