An IMAX presentation confirms that Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 3 is to release in 2026, though there’s a potential question mark over its Dune: Messiah title…
In the same IMAX presentation that announced the potential title of Steven Spielberg’s next movie – that’d be The Dish – it was also confirmed that Denis Villeneuve will indeed have a third Dune film in cinemas by the end of 2026.
Reports have been circulating for a while that Villeneuve is making a second Dune sequel next, with Warner stating in early July that it has an ‘event film’ from the director scheduled for the 18th December 2026. Hollywood sources all suggested that the mystery film was Dune: Messiah, despite Villeneuve’s earlier suggestions that he might tackle a different project first.
IMAX’s presentation for investors confirms those earlier rumours, though there’s also another interesting detail to be gleaned from the slideshow: it simply calls the film ‘Untitled Dune – Denis Villeneuve’ rather than Dune: Messiah. Now, this could be IMAX hedging its bets a little, given that neither Legendary nor Warner have officially announced it yet.
Given Villeneuve himself has used the name Dune: Messiah repeatedly in interviews (such as this one with Variety), and it’s the title of author Frank Herbert’s own follow-up novel to Dune, it once seemed certain that it’s the one the production would be sticking with. Could IMAX’s slide be a hint that either Legendary or Warner are having second thoughts over the title? Probably not, but it’s an intriguing detail all the same.
Whether it has Messiah in the title or not, the next Dune will be with us in less than two and a half years. In the interim, we’ll have HBO Max’s prequel series Dune: Prophecy to tide us over; starring Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, it’s due to hit the streaming platform this autumn. If it’s anything like Villeneuve’s films, it should be a corker.
Read more: Dune: Part Two review | Bleak, beautiful blockbuster filmmaking
