Denis Villeneuve’s best movie in a long time if the director manages to pull off the book’s major set pieces and character moments with the same intricacy and precision as Frank Herbert’s original novel. However, the book has plenty of strange and unusual ideas that will be very difficult to bring to life on the big screen.

Thankfully, Villeneuve has already proved on two occasions that he’s the perfect director for Herbert’s works, and there’s nothing to indicate that Dune Messiah should be any different. Although he’s made some changes to the Dune universe, these have all been well-intentioned and serve the story in powerful ways. This will undoubtedly be the case with his third movie, too.

10 Scytale's Arrival on Arrakis

The Face Dancer Plays A Huge Role In The Story

Scytale is among the most interesting new characters in Dune Messiah. As a Face Dancer, he’s capable of taking on other people’s appearances and stealing their identities whenever it suits him. The antagonist uses this ability throughout Messiah to carefully infiltrate Emperor Paul’s (Timothée Chalamet) council, orchestrating a dangerous assassination attempt from the shadows.

There are rumors that Robert Pattinson could play Scytale after he was reportedly approached for a role in Dune: Part Three.

One of the main criticisms that’s often leveled against Dune Messiah is also its biggest strength. It’s much slower and less action-packed than Herbert’s original novel. It’s more of a political thriller than Dune, which is better described as a sci-fi adventure story; much of the narrative is told from Scytale’s perspective as he arrives on Arrakis and examines the surrounding culture. Knowing Villeneuve’s style, this should make for some very atmospheric scenes in the adaptation.

9 Chani’s Rivalry With Irulan

The Two Women Have Different Roles In Paul's Life

Another of the major subplots in Dune Messiah is the rivalry between Chani (Zendaya) and Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), who are both vying for Paul’s affections in different ways. While Chani is the one whom he truly loves, Irulan needs an heir to secure her hold on the Empire. This creates a very unconventional love triangle, as Paul is torn between love and duty to uphold his reign.

Princess Irulan is a very complex character, and Dune Messiah really leans into her dark side more than in the previous book. Not only does she assist Scytale and the Bene Gesserit in their plans to assassinate Paul, but she also repeatedly poisons Chani to ensure that she won’t conceive an imperial heir. This dynamic is going to be a huge part of Villeneuve’s next movie, especially given the major changes he’s already made to Chani’s character.

8 The Conspiracy To Overthrow Paul

The Bene Gesserit Are Part Of A Dangerous Rebellion

There are several interweaving storylines in Dune Messiah, but perhaps the most central is the ongoing plot to murder Paul Atreides. The new Emperor has fallen out of favor with most of the known universe following his brutal war against the Great Houses, and these forces finally emerge to bring him down in Messiah.

Warner Bros. has a movie scheduled for December 18, 2026, which is speculated to be for Dune: Part Three.

Given how much of this book focuses on politics and secrecy, it seems likely that Villeneuve will spend lots of time with the Bene Tleilax and Bene Gesserit instead of Dune’s returning characters. Figures like Scytale and the Reverend Mother are crucial to this conspiracy, and Messiah could use them to really lean into the dark, slow-paced storytelling that makes the book so unique.

7 Alia's Romance With Hayt

Paul's Sister Has A Strange Romance With His Old Mentor

Perhaps the most unlikely romance in the Dune franchise is that of Alia Atreides (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Hayt (Jason Momoa), who find an unlikely partnership during the events of Dune Messiah. While Alia technically hasn’t been born yet in Villeneuve’s adaptations, the significant time jump means she’s definitely going to play a large role in the third movie.

Hayt is a ghola of Duncan Idaho (a sort of artificially created “clone”), who is created and employed by Scytale to infiltrate Paul’s court and murder him at the most opportune moment. This doesn’t exactly go to plan, however, as Hayt gradually learns to respect Paul and falls in love with his younger sister. Their romance is one of the few heartfelt aspects of Dune Messiah, which is otherwise very clinical and dark.

6 Hayt Fails To Kill Paul

The Ghola Begins To Reclaim His Identity

Although Dune Messiah came under huge critical fire upon release for being so thematically and narratively distinct from Herbert’s original novel, the characterization of Hayt was among the few things that almost all readers could appreciate. The way he is both physically identical but spiritually different from Duncan is such an interesting idea, and his dynamic with Paul really helps to highlight how much these characters have been changed by the ongoing conflict.

There are several moments in Dune Messiah where Hayt is “activated” by the Bene Tleilax and is instructed to kill the Emperor, but he fails to do so. These could make for some brilliant fight scenes in Villeneuve’s adaptation, utilizing the sharp fight choreography that was so great in the first two movies.

5 Chani’s Childbirth And Death

Paul's Lover Falls Victim To The Bene Gesserit's Politics

Chani’s story has already changed massively in Villeneuve’s adaptation, with the character making the unexpected decision at the end of the second Dune movie to leave Paul behind and not live as his concubine. This is a major change from Herbert’s original text, and it’s going to have immense ramifications for the story of Dune Messiah. In the book, Paul and Chani remain in love despite Irulan’s machinations, and Chani ultimately dies after giving birth to their twins.

The entire future of this franchise hinges on their children being born, but that doesn’t mean Villeneuve has to take the exact same route to get there.

Although Paul and Chani are separated at the end of Dune: Part Two, it’s very likely that they’ll make their way back to each other in Dune Messiah. The entire future of this franchise hinges on their children being born, but that doesn’t mean Villeneuve has to take the exact same route to get there. It will be fascinating to see how the director changes their dynamic in Dune Messiah, but Chani’s death is still going to be a very emotional scene to bring to life.

4 Paul Murders Scytale

Scytale's Final Moments Highlight Paul's Brutality

Scytale’s story comes to a brutal end towards the end of Dune Messiah when Paul murders the Face Dancer in cold blood after realizing he’s the one behind the ongoing conspiracy to have him killed. The scene comes briefly after Chani’s death, as Scytale attempts to take advantage of Paul’s grief and offers to make him a ghola of Chani if he agrees to relinquish power of the universe.

Instead, Paul kills Scytale. It’s a huge turning point for him and an altogether brutal scene that essentially marks the final nail in the coffin for the Atreides Emperor. Not only has he lost the one person he truly loved, but he’s also facing an ongoing conspiracy that will stop at nothing to see him dead. If the rumors about Pattinson playing Scytale in Dune Messiah are true, this scene could be one of the most exciting and emotionally charged in the entire movie.

3 The Guild Navigators

Edric Will Be A Huge Challenge To Adapt

The Dune franchise is filled with weird and wonderful creatures that really help to capture the scope of this futuristic landscape, and so far, Villeneuve has done an excellent job of adapting them all for the big screen. However, the Guild Navigator may be his biggest challenge yet. These genetically modified humans are employed by the Space Guild and live in huge antigravity tanks filled with spice, distorting their appearance and giving them fish-like physical qualities.

It’s very hard to imagine how Villeneuve is going to adapt these creatures without making them seem cartoonish and silly - in fact, many have suggested that he’ll simply omit these creatures from the story altogether.

It’s very hard to imagine how Villeneuve is going to adapt these creatures without making them seem cartoonish and silly. In fact, many have suggested that he’ll simply omit these creatures from the story altogether. However, this would eliminate one of Dune Messiah’s most interesting characters: Edric, a Guild Navigator who uses his power to feed information to the Bene Gesserit in their conspiracy against Paul.

2 Paul’s Exile Into The Desert

Paul Decides To Sacrifice Himself To Protect His Children

At the end of Dune Messiah, the story of Paul Atreides finally comes to an emotional end. After destroying his humanity to protect the people he loves, Paul accepts that he can’t rule as Emperor any longer, and exiles himself into the deserts of Arrakis.

This is a very potent ending for Paul; by going into the desert and allowing himself to die, he is accepting the traditions of the Fremen and no longer trying to control them as the Muad’Dib. He knows that avoiding death any longer will merely cause more political schisms and conspiracies, which could stain the reputation of his family and delegitimize his children’s imperial rule.

1 The Stone Burner

The Bene Tleilax Hold One Of Dune's Most Powerful Weapons

The boldest and most visceral set piece in Dune Messiah centers around the Stone Burner, an atomic weapon employed by the Bene Tleilax to murder Paul during a visit to the Fremen of Arrakis. The scene not only displays the scope of the conspiracy against him, but also demonstrates the heartless brutality of the Bene Tleilax, whose weapon kills countless innocent Fremen.

The atomic blast also leaves Paul blinded, which triggers his exile into the desert under traditional Fremen law at the end of the book. There were plenty of huge set pieces in Villeneuve’s previous Dune movies, from Paul riding the Sandworm to the atomic assault on Arrakeen, but Dune Messiah’s Stone Burner has the potential to rival them all if it’s executed right.