Yes, I know it's a nearly 60-year-old book, but that doesn't make it fair game to spoil, even in winking fashion, without warning, as is currently happening in the other thread. So we're going to treat this thread basically as if the second book doesn't exist (which I, personally, haven't read yet either).
To be clear, Villeneuve's Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two are based on Frank Herbert's original book, Dune, while the third movie will be based on Herbert's second/follow-up book, Dune: Messiah, which doesn't yet have an official movie title, though it's looking more and more like it will, indeed, be titled Dune: Messiah as opposed to Dune: Part Three (though I could see Warner Bros potentially forcing the Part Three monicker for the sake of branding/consistency/confusion).
What *is* official is that Villeneuve & co begin filming this summer, per yesterday's report, for what is increasingly looking like a December 18, 2026 release, though that date isn't set in stone yet either.
As for the story itself, from what I understand, Herbert's Dune: Messiah is a very different animal from his first book, is heavy on political intrigue and philosophizing, is set 12 years later, and features very little action. That said, while it sounds like Villeneuve will honor the book as best he can, same as with the last two movies he's going to lean heavily on action here as well, taking certain liberties and bridging certain gaps in order to make this third movie feel more connected to the first two. In other words, while it will definitely feel different (with a time jump and, if anything, Villeneuve is using a different cinematographer this go around), because this is a big, Hollywood blockbuster trilogy, he probably can't veer as far in tone/plot as the third book does.
Either way, that's as far as we're going to go in this thread when it comes to book talk.
In the meantime, hopefully we start getting casting news and an official title/date announcement relatively soon…
To be clear, Villeneuve's Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two are based on Frank Herbert's original book, Dune, while the third movie will be based on Herbert's second/follow-up book, Dune: Messiah, which doesn't yet have an official movie title, though it's looking more and more like it will, indeed, be titled Dune: Messiah as opposed to Dune: Part Three (though I could see Warner Bros potentially forcing the Part Three monicker for the sake of branding/consistency/confusion).
What *is* official is that Villeneuve & co begin filming this summer, per yesterday's report, for what is increasingly looking like a December 18, 2026 release, though that date isn't set in stone yet either.
As for the story itself, from what I understand, Herbert's Dune: Messiah is a very different animal from his first book, is heavy on political intrigue and philosophizing, is set 12 years later, and features very little action. That said, while it sounds like Villeneuve will honor the book as best he can, same as with the last two movies he's going to lean heavily on action here as well, taking certain liberties and bridging certain gaps in order to make this third movie feel more connected to the first two. In other words, while it will definitely feel different (with a time jump and, if anything, Villeneuve is using a different cinematographer this go around), because this is a big, Hollywood blockbuster trilogy, he probably can't veer as far in tone/plot as the third book does.
Either way, that's as far as we're going to go in this thread when it comes to book talk.
In the meantime, hopefully we start getting casting news and an official title/date announcement relatively soon…
Denis Villeneuve is aiming to shoot ‘Dune 3’ this summer, we understand.
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) February 18, 2025
The team is in pre-production and has been prepping for a while behind the scenes to try to get things ready for a summer start.
The third installment will see Villeneuve complete the trilogy by adapting… pic.twitter.com/d3ERDL9EVW
