The Bitter Ending of Dune 3 – Movie Preview

The spice must flow: Denis Villeneuve's epic "Dune" saga is nearing its spectacular conclusion. In this preview, we give you all the details on this mega project: what the original novel is about, the current status of filming, and what comes next after the release. But one thing is already certain: "Dune 3" will be more intense, more personal, and darker than ever before!

What Is the Story of Dune 3 About?

The story is based on Frank Herbert's novel "Dune Messiah" and is set 12 years after Paul Atreides' rise to power on Arrakis. Paul's influence now spans the entire universe. He sits on the throne of Arrakis as Emperor and rules with near-divine authority. At the same time, the Fremen have waged a brutal jihad across the universe in the name of their messiah, resulting in the deaths of billions.

The tone of the book differs greatly from the story told so far: instead of an epic hero's journey, Herbert presents a tragic tale filled with political intrigue, moral conflict, and personal sacrifice. In fact, the author never intended Paul to be seen as a shining hero. Yet even in the 1960s, many readers interpreted the story differently. The same thing has happened with Villeneuve's recent "Dune" films: some viewers see the narrative as a simple battle of good versus evil. The sequel, however, seeks to make it abundantly clear what dangers lie in the blind worship of a leader.

Paul's Visions

One of the central aspects of Part 3 is Paul's ability to see into the future. He sees countless possible outcomes, but almost all of them lead to catastrophe. Only a single course of action seems capable of securing humanity's survival: the so-called Golden Path. However, this path demands enormous sacrifices and forces Paul to make decisions that are almost unbearable for him. The public reveres him as a divine figure, yet he himself knows that his path is anything but heroic.

But there is also resistance to his plans: many of the universe's most powerful factions are secretly plotting to overthrow him. Their goal is to prevent the Golden Path and seize Paul's power for themselves. To achieve this, they devise a diabolical conspiracy in which Paul's past and his love for his friends play an important role – but we don't want to give too much away here due to spoilers.

Paul's relationship with Chani also draws him into a terrible conflict between his personal desires and his duty as the proclaimed savior of humanity. At least, that is how it unfolds in the novel. Denis Villeneuve, however, already deviated from this in the second movie: there, Chani leaves Paul at the end and returns to the desert. As a result, the fate of their relationship is less clear than in the book, where she never leaves his side. What this means for the new film remains an exciting question.

Spoiler: The Assassination Attempt on Paul

Please note: If you don't want to hear any more details about the story, now is the time to skip ahead to the next section. At this point, we will be going into more detail about the further plot of the book – including major spoilers!

The conspiracy against Paul ultimately escalates into an assassination attempt: his enemies detonate an atomic weapon, which causes Paul to go blind. Thanks to his visions, however, he continues to see everything. Spiritually and emotionally, though, he is more isolated from his fellow human beings than ever before.

Shortly afterwards, Chani and Paul's children are born. Contrary to expectations, they are twins: Leto II and Ghanima. Both possess extraordinary abilities and will play a decisive role in the future of humanity. But the birth claims Chani's life – just as Paul had foreseen.

This loss finally breaks him. He realizes that there is no turning back and that his children are the key to humanity's survival. Following Fremen tradition, he walks alone into the desert. The twins are raised by Stilgar's wife and Irulan. The jihad comes to a halt, while Paul's sister Alia rules the universe as regent.

Who Is in the Cast of Dune 3?

Unsurprisingly, the main cast is returning for "Dune 3". Timothée Chalamet reprises his role as Paul Atreides, Zendaya returns as Chani, and Florence Pugh takes on the role of Irulan. We are particularly excited to see Paul's new look: Timothée Chalamet has shaved his head for the role this time around. We are also really looking forward to seeing Anya Taylor-Joy: she made a brief appearance in Part 2 and plays Paul's sister, Alia.

A particularly interesting new addition is Robert Pattinson as Scytale, a so-called Face Dancer. Through genetic manipulation, he can transform into other people and plays a prominent role in the conspiracy against Paul.

Anyone unfamiliar with the book may wonder what Jason Momoa is doing in the cast – after all, his character has already died. But we don't want to give away what that's all about just yet. His 16-year-old son Nakoa-Wolf Momoa is also part of the cast, playing Paul's son Leto II. Ghanima, in turn, is portrayed by Ida Brooke. This suggests another deviation from the book, in which the children have only just been born.

A real surprise is the return of Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica: she hardly features at all in the novel. There, she returns to Caladan, the ancestral home of the Atreides.

The Production

Filming for "Dune 3" began in July in Budapest, where the studio shots for the first two films had already been made. For the desert landscapes, the team once again traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

The intense heat reportedly posed a considerable challenge. Robert Pattinson took it humorously, saying:

"When I was doing 'Dune' it was so hot in the desert that I just couldn't question anything. [...] I did not have a single functioning brain cell. And I was just listening to Denis [...]."

Filming has been completed since mid-November. With the release still at least a year away, the team has more than enough time for a proper post-production.

A technical highlight: the movie was shot entirely in IMAX. This makes "Dune 3" only the second project ever, after Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey", to be filmed entirely using this high-end camera system.

There has been a change behind the camera: Greig Fraser, who won an Oscar for "Dune", is not returning this time. Instead, Linus Sandgren is responsible for the film's cinematography. He has worked on movies such as "La La Land" and "No Time to Die".

Fortunately, the film's score remains unchanged: Hans Zimmer will once again compose the soundtrack. He also won an Oscar for Part 1.

The Future of the Dune Universe

With "Dune 3", the film series comes to an end under director Denis Villeneuve: he does not plan to make another "Dune" film. Fans of the franchise will still get new content, however: for example, the second season of "Dune: Prophecy", another as-yet-unknown series, and, according to rumors, even a fourth feature film. This one is said to be based on "Children of Dune" – though with a new director.

Whether this project becomes a reality will likely depend heavily on the box office performance of "Dune 3". The outlook, however, is not too bad: despite strong reviews, Part 1 fell short of expectations, earning 410 million US dollars. "Dune 2", on the other hand, performed surprisingly well, grossing 715 million dollars – almost double its predecessor. So it seems that the film series is no longer an insider tip, even among mainstream audiences. As a result, there will likely be a large number of people eager to find out how the saga continues.

When Does Dune 3 Hit Theaters?

The planned theatrical release for "Dune: Part 3" is December 18, 2026. Currently, this date coincides with the release of "Avengers: Doomsday". That would, of course, make for an epic box office showdown: "Dunesday"!