Dune Part 3: Release date speculation, cast theories for Dune Messiah adaptation

With that in mind, one of the big questions on most viewers' lips when they leave the cinema will be: can we expect to see more?

Although Frank Herbert's original Dune novel has now been adapted in its entirety, there's certainly no shortage of further source material.

Indeed, several prequels and sequels exist – some written by Herbert and others by his son Brian and sci-fi writer Kevin J Anderson – and it looks like at least one of them is next in line for a big-screen adaptation.

Plus, we have a whole host of characters missing from Dune: Part Two – including Stephen McKinley Henderson's Thufir Hawat, and a yet-to-be-disclosed character played by Tim Blake Nelson.

Villeneuve has been open about his plan to turn his attention to the first sequel book, Dune Messiah, next, but will this happen? And when could fans expect to see it? Read on for everything we know so far.

Will there be a Dune Part 3?

Yes, Dune Part 3 has been confirmed to be in development with director Denis Villeneuve attached to direct the sequel.

Variety reports that Legendary Pictures and Villeneuve are now working on the sequel, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Villeneuve is clear that the adaptation of the second novel Dune Messiah will be his final entry into the franchise.

What's more, Villeneuve has repeatedly made clear his intention to adapt Dune Messiah and complete what he sees as a film trilogy, even suggesting during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com that he had deliberately sowed the seeds for the next film when writing Dune: Part Two.

"Which is very fun, by the way," he explained. "To make – like Herbert did when he was writing his book – myself like the main character, Paul, to make projections in the future and try to foresee what could be done and to create the foundations of ideas that could find their full potential in the future."

Those certainly seem like the words of a man desperate to make the third film a reality, and indeed, he has also previously revealed that work has begun on a script for the next film, so we can probably expect an official announcement very shortly.

When we do hear anything, we'll post it right here.

When would a potential Dune Part 3 be released?

Dune Part 3 does not currently have an official release date.

However, the IMAX corporation which worked with the production of the film has the film slated for release in 2026.

The director Denis Villeneuve is said to be working on a new historical film about Cleopatra and an adaptation of Arthur C Clarke's sci-fi novel Rendezvous with Rama, and it appears that he will turn his attention to one of those two films before returning to Arrakis.

During a press conference in South Korea last year (as reported by Variety) Villeneuve explained: "I don’t know exactly when I will go back to Arrakis. I might make a detour before just to go away from the sun.

"For my mental sanity, I might do something in between, but my dream would be to go a last time on this planet that I love."

Who could be in the cast of a potential Dune Part 3 film?

In the book Dune Messiah, there are fewer characters than in the first novel, so it could be that we see a smaller cast for the next outing.

But we likely can nevertheless expect the following returning faces for Dune Messiah.

• Timothée Chalamet as Emperor Paul-Muad'Dib Atreides
• Zendaya as Chani
• Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino
• Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides
• Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
• Jason Momoa as Hayt/Duncan Idaho
• Javier Bardem as Stilgar

Meanwhile, after her fleeting cameo in Dune: Part Two, Anya Taylor-Joy would have a much bigger role in the next film, while Villeneuve has also explained that Florence Pugh would have more to do as Princess Irulan next time out.

"I approached her saying to her that Irulan will have the same journey from Part Two to the next movie as Chani, from Part One to Part Two," he explained to RadioTimes.com.

"In Part One, we barely saw Chani - she was just, like, a ghost, a dream. She was introduced at the end of Part One, and then she became one of the main characters of Part Two, and it will be the same for Irulan.”

Meanwhile, one other actor who could make a surprise return is Jason Momoa. His character Duncan Idaho was memorably killed off in the first film, but he returns as an undead creature called a Ghola in the book, so we'd expect the same to be true in the film adaptation.

In the novel, this revived version of Duncan is referred to as Hayt, but is there more to him than meets the eye?

Other key characters from the novel Dune Messiah would need to be cast, including the Bene Tleilaxu face-dancer Scytale, the mutated Spacing Guild Navigator named Edric, and more members of the Fremen followers of Muad'Dib, including the veteran warrior Otheym and the religious figure Korba.

Other surviving characters from Dune: Part Two could also make returns, despite not appearing in Dune Messiah, including Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), Lady Margot Fenring (Léa Seydoux), and Shaddam IV Corrino (Christopher Walken).

If any more casting news is announced, we'll post it right here.

What would the plot of a potential Dune Messiah film be?

Although Denis Villeneuve will likely make some changes from the book – as he has done in the first two films – it also seems likely that he will stay largely faithful to Herbert's text.

The second novel in Frank Herbert's series, Dune Messiah, picks up 12 years after the end of the original novel with Emperor Paul-Muad'Dib now the ruler of the Known Universe and the Fremen's holy war in his name having wiped out tens of billions of lives across galaxies.

Despite his dislike of the worship at the feet of himself and his sister Alia, Paul is powerless to end the bloodshed and is aware that this is one of the better outcomes for humanity.

• Read More: What happens in the second Dune novel, Dune Messiah? Spoilers for book series

However, Paul can sense dark forces at work – and he's not wrong to.

A new conspiracy emerges among disaffected Fremen, the Spacing Guild, the nefarious scientific force of the Bene Tleilaxu, the Bene Gesserit, and Paul's unhappy consort, Princess Irulan Corrino.

Will Paul's prescient abilities protect him from their scheming or are he, his sister, and his beloved Chani destined for tragedy?

Read more:

• Dune: Part Two ending explained – What happened to Paul and Chani?
• Dune: Part Two review – A spectacular return to Arrakis
• What happened in Dune: Part One? Recap for the first Denis Villeneuve film in franchise
• How is Dune: Part Two different from the book? Book changes explained
• Which characters are missing in Dune: Part Two?
• Stellan Skarsgård says reading Dune was “useless” for his Baron Harkonnen portrayal
• Dune director on casting Austin Butler: ‘I needed a playboy – a rockstar’
• Dune: Part Two cast – Full list of actors and characters in sequel
• What is the age rating for Dune: Part Two? Age suitability explained
• How to watch Dune: Part One on DVD, Blu-ray and streaming
• How to read all the Dune books in order

Dune: Part Two is in cinemas from 1st March. Check out more of our Sci-Fi or Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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