The third Dune movie, once again written and directed by Denis Villenueve, has officially begun filming, and it's a big deal. In an age when we're drowning in bloated Hollywood franchises and cinematic universes, Villenueve zeroed in on a literary classic — Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi masterpiece Dune — and delivered two tight, powerful features that told the story back to front, with all the weirdness and production value they deserved.
There's a lot of hype for the third and final movie in Villenueve's trilogy, which will be based off Herbert's 1969 sequel book Dune Messiah. This movie will pick up with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) several years into his reign as emperor of the known universe, a job he's finding to be even harder than it sounds.
The official title of the movie, it was revealed, is Dune: Part Three, which sounded good to me. But according to the Independent, some fans didn't take to it. "I am sorry, but that is a terrible title,” one wrote on X. “Ngl [not gonna lie] hate the title," offered another. "Messiah is so much better.” Gamerant calls the choice of title "a predictable Hollywood move."
I confess I'm bemused by the bemusement. These fans would have preferred that the movie go by Dune Messiah, and I wouldn't have objected to that either, but called it Dune: Part Three also makes a lot of sense. This is the last time that Villeneuve will be directing a Dune movie, and the title puts a period on the end of his trilogy. Part of picking a title involves adhering to a naming scheme that can be branded and packaged, and calling these movies Parts One, Two and Three is too neat to ignore. It will get people into the theater and that matters. I have every hope that Villeneuve will do just as good a job with the third movie as he did with the first two, and I think he's earned the right to tie it all together with the title.
And although Warner Bros. Discovery may continue making Dune movies after Villeneuve is gone — we've seen hints that Part Three may lay the groundwork for this — Dune Messiah is the final book where Paul Atreides is firmly at the center of the story. The books that come after Messiah shift the focus to other characters, so when and if WBD gets around to adapting those, I think a title change may be warranted. But Villeneuve's trilogy started with Paul and will end with Paul, so I think Dune: Part Three works perfectly.
At the end of the day, the only thing people will remember is whether or not the movie is good. We'll find out when Dune: Part Three comes out in theaters on December 18, 2026.
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