To close out the week, Warner Bros. and Legendary have dated a pair of upcoming releases: an untitled Denis Villeneuve Event Film and the next installment in the MonsterVerse series, a.k.a. Godzilla x Kong 3.
First up, the untitled Denis Villeneuve Event Film has been dated for December 18, 2026.
While we were previously under the assumption that Villeneuve was developing a drama film based on the nonfiction book Nuclear War: A Scenario as his next film, both The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline now believe that he's shifted gears back to the sandy dunes of Arrakis and that the December date is actually being reserved for Dune: Part Three (rumored title Dune: Messiah), which will be his next project.
However, before they can formally announce the film and its now-booked release date, Villeneuve will have to lock the script, which, as far as we know, is close to finished as he recently provided composer Hans Zimmer with a copy to work with. After that the studio will have to secure dates for the film's exceedingly busy cast, including stars Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name; Little Women), Zendaya (Euphoria; Spider-Man: No Way Home), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible - Fallout; The Greatest Showman), Florence Pugh (Little Women; Midsommar), and Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame; Sicario).
Then, the studios dated Godzilla & Kong 3, the next chapter in the ongoing MonsterVerse saga, for March 26, 2027.
Further details are currently unavailable, but Grant Sputore (I Am Mother; Castaway) is taking over directing duties, utilizing a screenplay from David Callaham (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), who previously contributed to Godzilla (2014).
Both Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire were massive successes for Warner Bros. and Legendary this year, with the two currently being the second- and third-highest grossing films of the year globally. Dune 2 grossed over $711.8 million worldwide on its estimated $190 million production budget, while Godzilla x Kong raked in $569.9 million worldwide on its $150 million production budget.
Looking ahead, Dune 3 is tentatively slated to open against Disney/Lucasfilm's Star Wars: New Jedi Order in 2026, which will reportedly return Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker and launch a new era of films in a galaxy far, far away. We don't anticipated this clash happening, so it seems like one of the two will ultimately move, but it remains to be seen which one will jump ship first.
As for Godzilla & Kong 3, there's no immediate competition, but Marvel Studios' highly anticipated Avengers: Secret Wars will open a few weeks later on May 7.