Director Denis Villeneuve will reportedly begin shooting Dune 3 a year earlier than expected, putting the highly-anticipated trilogy-capper on a faster track to theaters than was originally guessed. The huge success of Dune: Part Two made it easier for Villeneuve to sell Warner Bros. on making a third film, as the director seeks to complete the story of Paul Atreides with an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, the second book in the author’s legendary sci-fi series.
Filming on the sure-to-be-epic Dune: Part Three was expected to begin in summer 2026, but according to a new report from ᴅᴇᴀᴅline’s Baz Bamigboye, Villeneuve is now planning to roll cameras on the sequel in June 2025. Nothing has been confirmed at this time, but it was previously reported that Villeneuve’s next film had been slated for release on December 18, 2026, and speculation was that this next film would be Dune 3, and not one of the three other projects the director is attached to.
What This Means For Dune: Part Three
It Has To Start Shooting This Year In Order To Make Its Reported Release Date
Summer 2026 was never a realistic window for shooting to begin on Dune: Part Three, if indeed Villeneuve intends to have the movie finished in time to release on December 18, 2026. Shooting kicking off in June of this year makes that release date a more achievable goal, given the lengthy post-production and editing process involved on a film of this scale.
Villeneuve says Dune: Part Three will be his last Dune film, but he hopes others will take on the task of adapting further books in Herbert’s series.
Villeneuve himself recently speculated to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline that Dune: Part Three would shoot starting in 2026, but also indicated that work was moving swiftly, and he might “go back behind the camera faster than I think.” The director also cautioned that “these movies take a lot of time to be made, so it’s best not to say out loud when I might shoot.” Villeneuve spoke too of not wanting to rush the process, so it can be ᴀssumed he’s not fast tracking Dune: Part Three at the studio’s urging, but is ready to go in his own mind.
Our Take On Dune: Part Three Filming Sooner Than Expected
WB May Wish To Strike While The Iron Is H๏τ
Dune: Part One came out amid COVID and consequently posted a less-than-impressive worldwide box office tally of $407 million. Dune: Part Two easily bested that BO mark, however, grossing $714 million worldwide when it came out in 2024. Dune: Part Three was quickly greenlit, as Legendary and WB seek to capitalize on their valuable IP while audiences are still eager for more.
Getting Dune: Part Three into production as speedily as possible may satisfy the studio’s desire for haste. However, as Villeneuve himself has proclaimed, the creative process on something like Dune shouldn’t be rushed. Getting the trilogy-capper into theaters fast, and having the film be underwhelming as a result of an accelerated production schedule, would be a very undesirable outcome.
Villeneuve likely wishes to take his time on Dune 3, but that might not be in the cards, as the studio looks to strike while the iron is H๏τ. If this latest report is correct, Dune: Part Three production is indeed moving faster than expected, putting the epic continuation of Paul Atreides’ saga on track to reach theaters by Christmas 2026.
Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline
