This week was an exciting one for fans of Dune, because the very first teaser trailer dropped for Dune: Part Three. The highly-anticipated third film in Denis Villeneuve's trilogy is set to adapt Frank Herbert's novel Dune Messiah, set more than a decade after the original Dune book following a holy war that saw Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his Fremen army conquer the known universe.
Dune Messiah is a much smaller, more intimate novel than the first book, but you'd never know that by watching the trailer because it is nuts. We get glimpses at exciting new characters, battle scenes aplenty, the return of a figure who died way back in the first movie, and some astounding shots of Paul Atreidies with his legions. If the movie is anywhere near as thrilling as this trailer, we are in for such a wild experience that it'll make riding a sandworm look tame.
Watch the trailer below, and then let's talk about six moments that had us ready to follow Muad'Dib to the ends of Arrakis.
1. Paul and Chani together again
The Dune: Part Three trailer opens with Paul and his Fremen lover Chani (Zendaya) discussing what they'll name their child. Considering that Dune: Part Two ended with Chani turning her back on Paul after he forced Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) into a marriage of convenience to secure his place as Emperor of the known universe. Seeing them back together again was a great way to kick off the trailer.
Of course, it's not quite clear whether this scene is a flashback, or if it takes place somewhere during the opening sections of Dune: Part Three that will presumably cover some of Muad'Dib's holy war across the stars, which lasts around 12 years and takes place before the main events of Dune Messiah. Either way, we should expect plenty of Paul and Chani in Dune: Part Three as they navigate the progressively more dangerous territory of Paul's rise as an unwilling messiah.
2. War across the Empire
As mentioned above, the main events of Dune Messiah — and presumably Dune: Part Three — take places after the Fremen holy war to unite the known universe under Paul Atreides' rule. Given that, it's surprising just how many battle scenes we see in the trailer, from Paul leading his army into a charge against a fortified fortress, to Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and his elite warriors wiping out a group of soldiers wearing Japanese-inspired armor.
It hasn't been clear up until now just how much focus Denis Villeneuve's film was going to put on the holy war itself, but considering how many scenes from it are in this trailer, I'm now expecting a decent chunk of the film's opening minutes to chronicle Paul's rise to power. It may serve as an opening montage, but no matter how it works out, we're going to see much more of the holy war than in Franker Herbert's novels.
3. Scytale's gift
The most intriguing new character that will be introduced in Dune: Part Three is Scytale, played by Robert Pattinson. Scytale is one of the primary villains of Dune Messiah, a member of the Bene Tleilax, masters at genetic manipulation. He is a Face Dancer, which means he has a power that allows him to change his appearance at will.
Without delving too deep into spoilers, Scytale is part of a conspiracy to see Paul knocked from his throne. But the Tleilaxu are devious, and Scytale's method is anything but straight forward. He and his fellow conspirators give Paul Atreides a gift that is designed to mess with the Emperor's mind, reminding him of his past and putting him into conflict with himself. We catch a glimpse of Scytale arriving with this gift in the trailer.
4. Princess Irulan heads for a conspicuous meeting
Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) had a relatively small role in Dune: Part Two, but she's going to be much more prominent this time around. One of the central axis upon which Dune Messiah turns is the complicated relationship between Paul, Chani, and Irulan. Irulan is Paul's wife in name only; Chani remains the love of his heart, and the person he wants to father children with.
This pushes Irulan toward some dark actions in the book, and we get a glimpse of one of them in the trailer, where she meets with several other notable figures who might aid her endeavors. Expect this scene to show up on the earlier side in the movie, after the holy war but before the next phase of the action gets truly underway.
4. Saint Alia of the Knife
Dune: Part Two gave viewers a very different introduction to Paul's younger sister Alia than in the novel. Instead of Alia being a toddler with adult awareness and Bene Gesserit prescience like in Herbert's novel, she remains a growing baby in Lady Jessica's (Rebecca Ferguson) womb throughout the film, speaking to her mother telepathically. We only catch one brief glimpse of Anya Taylor-Joy as adult Alia in a vision — but in Dune: Part Three, Alia and Taylor-Joy will finally become full-fledged members of the cast.
And that's reason to get excited, because Alia is a fascinating character. Saddled with psychic abilities and vast memories that serve as both a blessing and a curse, Alia is held in her own sort of religious regard by the Fremen. In the book, one of her names is Saint Alia of the Knife. The movies cut out the event which earned her that name, since she didn't go around mercy-killing wounded Sardaukar warriors with a knife during the Battle of Arrakeen, but I'm still expecting the moniker to crop up.
The trailer gives us only a few glimpses of Taylor-Joy's Alia, but in one we can clearly see her ripping a knife free of its sheath as she walks purposefully toward something. There's no way that's not an intentional nod to the fans who have been waiting to see Saint Alia of the Knife on screen.
5. The return of Jason Momoa
It's been out there for a while now that Jason Momoa would appear in Dune: Part Three, despite the fact that his character, the swordmaster Duncan Idaho, perished during the first film. Readers of Herbert's books expected it, but the actor himself also hasn't been shy about teasing his return to Arrakis. And lo! We get several glimpses of Momoa in this new trailer, including one scene where he's sparring with Paul.
But this isn't the same Duncan Idaho who died back in Dune: Part One. Momoa's character this time around is named Hayt, and while he does have an obvious relation to Idaho, don't expect him to be a retread of the exact same character. From his eerie eyes to his pale clothing and imposing movements, Momoa's take on Hayt is going to be a crucial element of Dune: Part Three. To say much more would be to delve into spoilers, so suffice to say, we're dying to see more of Hayt in action.
6. The sheer spectacle of it all
Okay, this last one isn't necessarily a specific moment, it's a bunch of them. From the final shot of Paul Atreides standing victorious over his massive army, to the atmospherically lit battles, bright desert planes of Arrakis, and mystical shot of a woman wearing flowing white robes flapping in the wind, this trailer serves as an excellent reminder that Dune is not just a well-crafted movie in terms of story and acting, but also a visual spectacle the likes of which are rare these days. Denis Villeneuve has created the definitive on-screen version of Frank Herbert's Dune universe with these movies, and now we're going to see him and his team throw every ounce of creative juice they have left at the franchise.
Dune: Part Three is the definition of a film made to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and this teaser trailer gives us an ample reminder of it. For anyone who was concerned about renowned cinematographer Greig Fraser being unable to return for Dune: Part Three after working on the first two, this trailer reassures us that those fears can now be laid to rest. We're in good hands with his replacement, Linus Sandgren.
Dune: Part Three premieres in theaters on December 18, 2026.