For the past month, production has been in full swing on Dune: Part Three in Budapest, with stars Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Jason Momoa all knee-deep in filming. Denis Villeneuve once again directs the third movie in his trilogy of films based on the books by Frank Herbert, with the third movie borrowing its premise from Dune Messiah.
While the first two Academy Award-nominated films had extensive casts with additional stars like Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, and Josh Brolin, Dune: Part Three has yet to formally confirm the full cast beyond the five stars mentioned above, as well as Ida Brooke and Jason Momoa's son Nakoa-Wolf Momoa as Paula and Chani's twins.
Josh Brolin returning for small role in Dune: Part Three
However, during a recent podcast appearance, Josh Brolin finally confirmed that he will in fact appear in Dune: Part Three even though he hasn't made it over to Budapest to begin filming. He revealed the reason why he hasn't begun filming his scenes, and while it's probably disappointing to some fans of the movies, it's surely obvious to those who have read the source material. His character, Gurney Halleck, has a much smaller role in Dune Messiah and therefore in the third movie.
While talking to host Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Brolin confirmed that he will indeed appear in Dune: Part Three. He's read the script and called it "very good, super good." Horowitz noted that he's read Dune Messiah and Gurney isn't in the book that much, to which Brolin laughed and agreed, "In the movie, too." But he insisted that he's in the script and will be in the movie, even if it's not as big of a role he had in the first two movies.
Brolin further shared, "I've gotten texts by people who are also in it who apparently haven't read the script or only read their parts, which I don't understand, because that's why I reached out to Denis. I was like, 'Why are all these people thinking, like, hey, why aren't you [in Budapest] yet?'" He playfully joked about his response to why he isn't on set just yet: "Dude, read the script. Like, do your job."
The actor didn't reveal exactly when he will begin filming his scenes for Dune: Part Three, but he continued to shower the upcoming film with praise. Horowitz asked if it's a worthy conclusion to the trilogy, and Brolin affirmed that it is "in a big, big way." He also shared that he spoke to one of the heads of Warner Bros., who are all currently excited about how the movie is turning out so far.
As for us fans, it will be a while still until we can see any footage from Dune: Part Three, unless Warner Bros. happens to give us an exclusive first-look as a treat before the end of the year. Filming will likely continue through the remainder of summer and into the fall and wrap shortly thereafter before heading into post-production for much of 2026 ahead of its prime holiday season release.
Dune: Part Three hits theaters on Dec. 18, 2026.