Dune: Part Three is set to be the end of Denis Villeneuve‘s trilogy based on the first two books in the legendary sci-fi novel series. Recently, the first footage of the movie was shown, and seems to promise an entirely different movie than we’ve seen with the first two.
Why should fans expect a different movie in Dune 3?
During this week’s ongoing CinemaCon, Warner Bros. brought some brand new footage for the movie exclusive to those in attendance. Specifically, Villeneuve and the cast of the movie unveiled the first seven minutes of the movie, and those in attendance were quick to point out a massive tone shift.
According to those in attendance, the footage opens with a series of ships housing Fremen descending onto a stormy planet, as the Fremen all talk about what to expect on it and prepare for the battle that’s inevitably going to take place. Once on the planet, chaos breaks out, as laser blasts begin raining down around them, tearing through some of the ships in the process. A giant structure emerges from the ground and fires off more lasers, throwing the Fremen’s invasion into disarray and causing many to flee.
The footage reportedly comes to a close with Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and the Fremen facing down an imposing large ship that’s slowly moving toward them before cutting to some more footage that was seen previously in the trailer for the movie. Many in attendance likened the footage to the opening of Saving Private Ryan, which begins with the U.S. Army landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day and the chaos that surrounded it. The tone of the footage was also described as being significantly different than previous Dune movies, and this falls in line with what Villeneuve has said about the movie himself.
Speaking at CinemaCon, Villeneuve said that, for this third movie, he wanted to go in an entirely different direction. He described the first Dune movie as more of a meditative film, the second one as a war movie, and the upcoming third film as a “thriller,” which takes place in “a very different world.” (via IndieWire)
“It’s a very different movie than the first ones. It’s a good idea to come back to those worlds, not by nostalgia, but by urgency,” Villeneuve said (via The Hollywood Reporter). “If the first movie was contemplation, a boy exploring a new world, and the second one is a war movie, this one is a thriller. It is action-packed and tense. More muscular.”
When Dune: Part Three releases on December 18, 2026, we’ll see just what Villeneuve means. However, judging by the first trailer released and the description of the new footage shown off this week, it seems clear the third entry in the sci-fi series is aiming to tackle even darker topics than previously explored.
