Denis Villeneuve's next film will hit theaters on November 18, 2026.

After the success of Dune and Dune: Part Two, it was no mystery that Warner Bros. would greenlight the third adaptation of the saga written by Frank Herbert. As Denis Villeneuve himself had said, his intention was to direct a third and final film in the Dune universe based on the book The Messiah of Dune, the second book in the saga.

Earlier this year, during the release of Dune: Part Two, the film's director had indicated that he planned to take a few years off before returning to Arrakis to direct other projects. However, recent news from the studio has brought renewed excitement among fans that Dune 3 may be coming sooner than expected. In the last hours, Warner Bros. confirmed an upcoming release for December 18, 2026, to be directed by Villeneuve himself. Although it is true that the filmmaker had another project in development, sources indicate that the director would have changed his decision and would have opted to make Dune 3 his next film. Likewise, Legendary Pictures indicates that this date is the one in which Dune 3 will hit theaters.

They also indicate that the script is in the development stage, as is the casting process. Although is not yet official who will return for the Dune sequel, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem and Anya Taylor-Joy, among others, will probably return to play their respective characters.

In March of this year, Denis Villeneuve had made known his main requirement for returning to the fictional universe of Dune with a third film. "If we come back, it has to be real, it has to be relevant, if I ever do Dune Messiah, it's because it will be better than the second part. Otherwise, I won't do it."