Denis Villeneuve to begin filming ‘Dune 3’ this summer
Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated third instalment of his Dune series, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, will begin filming this summer.
According to a new report from Deadline, the current plan, which is subject to change, is for the upcoming movie to enter production towards the middle of summer. Currently, it is in the pre-production stage.
As it stands, June is reportedly too early for Dune 3 to begin shooting, however, the current plan is to begin in either July or August. That being said, the report also notes this is due to talent availability and other various mitigating factors.
Since Dune: Part Two concluded filming, both Chalamet and Zendaya have been incredibly active with high-profile projects.
Chalamet is nominated for an Academy Award in the ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ category for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s biopic of the singer-songwriter, A Complete Unknown. He’s also recently finished filming, Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie’s upcoming A24 sports drama inspired by the life of ping-pong player Marty Reisman.
Meanwhile, Zendaya starred in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers alongside Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. She is also set to appear in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie, The Odyssey, which will be released in 2026.
Last September, Villeneuve confirmed that Dune 3 would be his final movie in the series. “First, it’s important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych,” the director confirmed when discussing the first two films on Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men podcast.
He continued: “It was really a pair of movies that will be the adaptation of the first book. That’s done, and that’s finished. If I do a third one, which is in the writing process, it’s not like a trilogy. It’s strange to say that, but if I go back there, it’s to do something that feels different and has its own identity.”
The director also stated that he was happy for another director to take the reigns and steer Dune into a new direction. “Listen, if Dune Messiah happens, it will have been many years for me on Arrakis, and I would love to do something else,” the filmmaker said, “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.”
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