Dune: Part Three: Sequel Updates - Plot and New Trailer

Dune: Part Three, the movie plot

Dune: Part Three is the sci-fi and epic movie coming soon. It is the sequel to the 2023 movie Dune 2 directed by Denis Villeneuve, where Paul Atreides joins Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.

The story is set 17 years after the events of the first Dune novel. Paul Atreides – baptized Muad'Dib – as Emperor of the Known Universe, holds a power no single man should ever possess. Revered as a religious icon by the fanatic Fremen, Paul faces the enmity of the political houses he displaced when taking the throne, and a conspiracy within his own sphere of influence. As House Atreides begins to crumble around him due to his enemies' machinations, the true threat to Paul looms over the woman he loves, Chani, and the future heir of his dynasty.

Dune: Part Three, the movie trailer

"I trusted you. You promised me you would never take power for yourself," says Chani (Zendaya) to Paul (Timothée Chalamet) in the new trailer released; "you convinced me that our home was this, that our home was me," she continues. "What do you know about me?" Paul asks Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa); "you destroyed thousands of worlds. I think you are beyond redemption," he replies. Then Paul asks why he is here, and he states it is for a peace proposal: "Peace is a good thing. Why should I refuse?" Paul suspects: "Because it aims to destroy you."

"Do you intend to kill Paul?" a counselor asks Scytale (Robert Pattinson); "regime change," he replies. "The future has a new way of speaking to me, but I don’t see what awaits me," says Paul. Fight scenes follow: "forgive me, for what I have done," he despairs.

“If it’s a girl, what will we name her?” says Chani (Zendaya) in the previous trailer. “She will be called Ghanima, because she must be strong. Like her mother,” replies Paul (Timothée Chalamet). "War feeds itself. The more I fight, the more our enemies counterattack," Paul states. Battle scenes follow: “how did he do it?” he asks his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). “Your father never started a war,” she replies.

“I am not afraid to die. But I must not die again,” Paul says, while Chani also wields a knife.

Dune: Part Three, movie curiosities

Villeneuve revealed that the third chapter also has a different tone, rhythm, and cadence. "If the first movie was more introspective, like a boy exploring a new world, and the second was a war movie, this one is richer in action and tension." Paul Atreides is facing the consequences of excessive power and “is trying to understand how to break this cycle of violence (...) As an Emperor able to foresee the future, he is in a way invincible. But there are people trying to overthrow him.”

In the first movie Paul – son of a noble family – tries to avenge his father’s death, attempting to save a planet that contains an important spice. Villeneuve had previously stated during a podcast that it was important “for people to understand that for me it was really a diptych (...) if I make a third, which is in writing, it is not like a trilogy. It’s strange to say, but if I come back, it is to do something different and with its own identity.” Regarding Frank Herbert’s books from which the screenplay is adapted, “they are harder to adapt. They become more esoteric. It’s a bit more complicated to adapt. (Dune: Messiah) is a very dark and beautiful book. It is the story of Paul and Chani and their difficulties in the relationship, the weight and incredible pressure of the world around them, and Paul tries to find a way out of this cycle of violence.” There is something in their love, in how they evolve over time and in their nature.

Dune: Part Three, the movie cast

The cast will again include the characters of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), who will continue his journey as head of House Atreides; Chani (Zendaya), young and rebellious Fremen warrior and Paul’s companion.

Jason Momoa is Duncan Idaho, deceased swordmaster of House Atreides and one of Paul’s mentors; Florence Pugh is Princess Irulan, and Rebecca Ferguson is Lady Jessica, the Reverend Mother and mother of Paul and Alia. Charlotte Rampling is Reverend Mother Mohiam, Anya Taylor-Joy is Alia Atreides, Paul’s sister.

Robert Pattinson is Scytale, who plots to dethrone Paul Atreides; Javier Bardem is Stilgar, leader of the Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr. Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke are Leto and Ghanima, the children of Paul and Chani. Josh Brolin portrays Gurney Halleck, weapons master of House Atreides and one of Paul’s mentors.

The screenplay is based on the eponymous literary saga by Frank Herbert, published between 1965 and 1985. The second movie grossed $711.8 million. The third movie will be released in US cinemas on December 18, 2026.

Dune streaming and on demand

The 1984 Dune movie is available streaming on Infinity; the 2021 and 2023 movies are on Netflix and Infinity. All are on demand on Google Play, iTunes, Amazon Prime Video.