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Timothee Chalamet's Last 'Dune' Movie Might Happen Sooner Than We Thought
In Dune: Part One, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) says "My road leads into the desert." And by the end of last year's Dune: Part Two, he's seemingly set up to rule over the entire universe from his adopted desert home, the planet Arrakis, better known as Dune. But, Chalamet and director Denis Villeneuve are not long for Arrakis. After the third planned Dune movie, Villeneuve has said unequivocally, that he's done with the franchise. And because of what happens in the next book, Chalamet is probably done after that, too. But is this Dune 3 coming way sooner than anybody thought?
According to Budapest Reporter, the production of the third Denis Villeneuve-directed Dune film, Dune Messiah, is set to begin later this year, specifically in Budapest, Hungary, in September. The report also claims that "Production will return to Origo Film Studios, which has become a key location for the Dune franchise."
While Warner Bros and Legendary have yet to confirm this possible news, the timeline does make sense. Presumably, sooner rather than later would be a good time for Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Josh Brolin, and, yes, Jason Momoa to go back to the world of Dune, and knock out a third movie. And if you're wondering why Momoa's Duncan Idaho would appear after he apparently died in Dune: Part One, just read the first few chapters of the second book, and you'll understand.
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Dune 3 is called Dune Messiah because its based on Frank Herbert's 1969 novel of the same name, which was the second in the Dune series overall. Villeneuve opted to turn the first 1965 Dune book into two films, mostly because of the length of that book. Messiah, however, is a much shorter book, so clearly, one movie makes sense. Frank Herbert wrote six books in all, and there are over 20 spinoff books co-written by his son, Brian Herbert, and author Kevin J. Anderson. Villeneuve is determined to only make one more Dune movie, telling The Wrap just last week, that "After that, it would become unhealthy."
Chalamet has previously expressed interest in exploring Paul's messy fate in Dune Messiah, saying in 2021 that he read all of Dune Messiah during lockdown, and that he was "champing at the bit" to film more of Paul's story. Without spoiling the books, or the upcoming movies, it's safe to say that Chalamet could maybe do one more movie after Messiah, though without Denis Villeneuve, it seems unlikely. Plus, Paul's destiny in Messiah makes the end of that story a good place to stop. Recently, Chalamet told the Hollywood Reporter how much he loves working with Villeneuve, noting that he often texts the director saying: "Can you be the director I work with most in my career, and can I be the actor you worked with the most in [your] career?"
But, if Dune Messiah is the end of the desert road for both Chalamet and Villeneuve, it's going to be one helluva sendoff. And if the movie does start filming this year, it could be out much earlier than anyone expected. In fact, we could be looking at Dune Messiah in late 2026, if we're lucky.