Summary

• Warner Bros. sets a release date for Denis Villeneuve's untitled new movie, reported to be Dune 3, for Dec 18, 2026.
• Villeneuve's Dune sequel is described as the finale to the sci-fi epic universe, with the script and casting still underway.
• The announcement coincides with news of a new Monsterverse movie set for a March 26, 2027 release.

Despite previous reports that he would put his focus on a different project, Warner Bros. has set a release date for Denis Villeneuve's next movie, which is said to be developing Dune 3, adapting the 1969 sequel novel, Messiah.

A few months after Dune: Part Two exploded to mammoth success at the box office, WB has announced that an untitled new movie from Villeneuve has been set for a December 18, 2026 release date. A report from Deadline further states that sources close to the studio and Legendary Pictures are saying the slot is being held for Dune 3, with the script and casting processes still underway for what's being described as the finale to the sci-fi epic universe. The news also comes alongside the announcement of a new Monsterverse movie being set for a March 26, 2027 release.

Dune 3 Happening So Quickly Isn't Surprising (But It Is Worrying)

Though WB hasn't explicitly confirmed that Villeneuve's next movie will be Dune 3, their desire to move ahead with the sci-fi franchise doesn't come as much of a surprise following Part Two's success. Releasing a little shy of three years after its predecessor, the sequel has proven to be one of the biggest hits of the year thus far, having only just recently been dethroned as the highest-grossing movie of 2024 by Inside Out 2, while also garnering further acclaim than its already well-received original. See how Dune: Part Two compares to the other Top 10 2024 releases at the box office and on Rotten Tomatoes below:

Reports that Villeneuve's next movie is Dune 3 do come as somewhat of a surprise, however, given it was announced in April 2024, a full month after Part Two's release, that his next project would actually be an adaptation of Annie Jacobsen's nonfiction novel, Nuclear War: A Scenario. While some sources indicated he would make the movie after Dune Messiah, others stated it would come before it, seemingly pointing to the filmmaker wanting a brief break from the sci-fi epic universe before coming back for the threequel.

Beyond the financial side of things, though, Dune 3 his next project does make sense from a creative standpoint. Not only has he previously confirmed that it would be his final installment in the franchise, but also that he was already underway writing the third movie in April 2024, pointing towards an effectively quick turnaround time between it and Part Two, as he previously did with the first two movies. Additionally, with over a year and a half until the untitled project's release date, Villeneuve will offer the shortest gap between Dune movies yet for those eager to see the next chapter in the franchise.

Villeneuve's first two Dune movies are available to stream on Max.

Sources: WB & Deadline