Denis Villeneuve is returning to Arrakis to adapt Dune: Messiah – but he’s confirmed again that it will be his last Dune movie.
“When I saw Part Two finished, finally, I realized that that was it,” the director told TheWrap. “I’d done it. I’d done an adaptation of Dune. And that is something that is an incredible privilege. I’m very grateful to have the chance to have done it. I think my biggest surprise about this is that I don’t want to run away from Arrakis. I’m still inspired to go back. That’s the thing that I was the most surprised by. I felt that after Part Two, I would need a break. I thought that I would want to go write a few films or do a couple of things before going back to Dune: Messiah. But the images that kept coming back to my mind, the appetite is absolutely intact. That’s the biggest surprise. I still want to go back to Arrakis.”
But, Villeneuve added that this would definitely be his last time: “Yes. After that, it would become unhealthy.”
This isn’t the first time Villeneuve has said he won’t be returning after Dune 3. But, he has also said that he’d like it if other filmmakers picked up the baton. “I think that it would be a good idea for me to make sure that, in Messiah, there are the seeds in the project if someone wants to do something else afterwards, because they are beautiful books,” he said in 2024. “They are more difficult to adapt. They become more and more esoteric. It’s a bit more tricky to adapt, but I’m not closing the door. I will not do it myself, but it could happen with someone else.”
Dune 3 is releasing on December 18, 2026. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies of 2025 to fill out your watchlist.