Warner Bros has announced that Denis Villeneuve’s next film will release in December 2026. There’s speculation that the director could be making Dune: Messiah next after all…
Not so long ago, director Denis Villeneuve had said that he wanted to take a break from the sands of Arrakis before he made his trilogy-closing sequel to Dune: Part Two.
Over the weekend, however, there has been growing speculation that Villeneuve may make Dune: Messiah next after all.
On the 26th June, Warner Bros announced a couple of films on its upcoming slate, neither of which are titled. One is an ‘event film’ directed by Villeneuve and scheduled for the 18th December 2026. The other, per The Hollywood Reporter, is another film in the MonsterVerse franchise, following this year’s Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire; that one’s due out on the 26th March 2027.
There’s nothing official to suggest that the Villeneuve film in that December 2026 slot is a Dune sequel, but Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman (via World of Reel) has floated the story that Dune: Messiah is scheduled to go into production in August 2025.
Read more: Dune: Part Two review | Bleak, beautiful blockbuster filmmaking
Deadline also has sources suggesting that production company Legendary Pictures is “holding the date” for the third Dune movie.
Villeneuve has his name attached to a number of films that may or may not happen over the next few years. There’s an adaptation of Arthur C Clarke’s Rendezvous With Rama; a film version of the non-fiction book, Nuclear War: A Scenario; his own take on the epic story of Cleopatra; and a sci-fi romance called I Am Waiting For You.
Villeneuve has previously said that he won’t move ahead with Dune: Messiah without a worthwhile script; whether or not the film goes into production next August will no doubt hinge on how well the writing goes over the next few months.
More on Villeneuve’s creative movements as we get it.
