Dune Part Three Begins Filming
Let's discuss the important details of this epic trilogy finale.
Finally, Dune Part Three, the third and final movie in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy, has started filming. As I suspected, the official title was revealed as Dune Part Three. Yes, I’m pretty sure that Villeneuve tried everything he could to name this movie Dune Messiah. But in the end, that name can be a little confusing to the general audience, and Dune Part Three feels like a natural sequel to the critically acclaimed Dune Part Two. It also makes the trilogy feel more complete.
Another reason for the title is because I suspect this won’t be a straight adaptation of Dune Messiah. That book is set 12 years after its predecessor, and doesn’t have too much action. In fact, it’s a book about conversations and plots more than action. I’m sure the studio and Denis will change it, make the movie more cinematic, especially if they will market it as “a grand finale”, like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. In that case, the movie should have at least some big scale action scenes, because if not, the audience will be disappointed.
Recently it was announced that Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke will join the cast as Leto II and Ghanima Atreides, respectively. This makes me believe that Denis will add at least some material from the next book, Children of Dune. And yes, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa is Jason Momoa’s son. Speaking of which, Jason Momoa will also return for this installment, and according to the reports, Robert Pattinson might join as well.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser, who did Dune and Dune Part Two, won’t return this time. Some say he will be busy with his preparations for The Batman Part Two. Yes, it’s a little annoying, because the cinematography of both Dune movies was beautiful. According to reports, Linus Sandgren will replace him. He is one of the best cinematographers working today, having worked on La La Land, First Man and No Time to Die. So this movie will still look incredible, and it will fit Denis Villeneuve’s vision, who wanted this movie to look very different from its predecessors.
As of now, Dune Part Three is set for December 18, 2016, the same date of Avenger: Doomsday. No, I don’t think both of them will keep that date, although they can make it another “Barbenheimer” event – Avengers: Dunesday, Dune: Doomsday, etc. Most chances that Dune will move. I think a big possibility is to move it back 3 months to March 2027, specifically, March 5. After all, Dune: Part Two was delayed from November 2023 to March 2024 because of the strike, and was able to gross over 700 million dollars. But I think that this time it’s different. Warner will want this to be a serious awards contender. They will release it closer to the awards (hence the December release date). So, another possibility is to push it a little forward instead, to November 2026. If I had to guess – November 13 or November 6, or maybe even October. I think it could be ready by then.