For Dune director Denis Villeneuve, the end of the sci-fi series is already certain

Dune: Part Two took cinemas by storm in 2024 and largely left audiences and press alike with thunderous enthusiasm. It’s not for nothing that the sci-fi spectacle secured the top spot in our best films of the year. For director Denis Villeneuve, the film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s groundbreaking novel fulfilled a lifelong dream that he would like to further expand with Dune: Messiah. After that it’s over for him.

For Denis Villeneuve, the sci-fi series ends with Dune 3: Messiah

As Villeneuve explained in a new interview with The Wrap, his long-planned break after Dune: Part Two turned out to be shorter than expected:

I’m still inspired. That’s what surprised me the most. I thought I needed a break after Dune: Part Two. I thought I’d write a few other films or do a few other things before returning to Dune: Messiah. But the images kept popping into my head, the appetite is still there. […] I still want to return to Arrakis.

However, this third confrontation with Frank Herbert’s desert planet and the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) will be the last for Denis Villeneuve, even if Herbert’s series of novels has produced many more titles after Messiah: “It becomes unhealthy after that.”

Watch a trailer for Dune: Part Two here:

Villeneuve has already stated several times that for him Paul’s story only finds its true conclusion with Dune: Messiah. For him, this film adaptation is an essential expansion of the sci-fi series, even if it should not be seen as the end of a trilogy, as he revealed to Vanity Fair in September 2024: “Dune: Messiah will be something newwhich I will approach with my own cinematic philosophy.”

When is Dune 3 coming to cinemas?

An official launch date for Dune 3 has not yet been announced. But a mystery project by Villeneuve is scheduled for December 2026 at the Warner Bros. studio. Numerous indications currently indicate that this could be Dune: Messiah. So the sci-fi hit could perhaps come to us as early as… December 18, 2026 reach in the cinemas.

Until then, you can take a look at the prequel series Dune: Prophecy, which starts at the end of 2024. It also introduces a sci-fi element that will become important for Dune: Messiah. All six episodes of the first season are streaming on WOW with a subscription in this country.

Sci-Fi Podcast: Is Dune Prophecy worth it as a series extension to Dune?

Set in the same universe as Denis Villeneuve’s two Dune films, Dune: Prophecy takes place 10,000 years before Paul Atreides of the Bene Gesserit Order. But does the sci-fi story of sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen reach the same heights as the hit films?

Whether sandworms, Travis Fimmel or Dune parallels: We will introduce you to the science fiction series Dune: Prophecy in more detail, talk about the lengthy production history and discuss strengths and weaknesses without spoilers.