Dune: Part Three trailer reveals a darker Paul Atreides 17 years after his rise to power
Warner Bros. unveiled the first full trailer for Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three at a global Imax fan event, showing Timothée Chalamet's Emperor Paul Atreides grappling with conspiracy and moral decay.
Trailer unveiling
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures released the first full trailer for Dune: Part Three on Wednesday at a star-studded event in Los Angeles. The presentation was simulcast to Imax venues in Chicago, Dallas, Toronto, Montreal, London, Berlin, Mexico City and Abu Dhabi. The footage will also screen ahead of Imax 70mm showings of The Odyssey. This is the second trailer overall, following an earlier teaser.
Plot and tone
Set 17 years after the events of Dune: Part Two, the film adapts Frank Herbert's novel Dune Messiah. Paul Atreides now rules as Emperor of the Known Universe, but his visions have clouded and a holy war waged in his name has devastated the galaxy. A conspiracy involving the Bene Gesserit, the Spacing Guild and a shapeshifting adversary named Scytale threatens to topple him. The trailer includes dialogue that underscores Paul's moral crisis.
The future has a way of talking to me. I can't see what's ahead.
We plan to strike the core of imperial power. Regime change.
Paul's relationship with Fremen warrior Chani is strained by his political marriage to Princess Irulan, who wants a child. The resurrected Duncan Idaho, now a ghola, arrives as a gift from Scytale and warns Paul that a peace proposal is meant to destroy him.
Cast and characters
Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya reprise their roles, joined by returning cast members Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Charlotte Rampling. Anya Taylor-Joy appears again as Paul's sister. Robert Pattinson joins as Scytale, the shapeshifter leading the plot against the Emperor. Isaach De Bankolé also joins the ensemble.
Director's vision
Denis Villeneuve has described Dune Messiah as his favourite book in the series and the film as his most personal work.
Dune Messiah is a book that is by far probably my favorite book of the series. It's a very dark book, a beautiful book. I will say this, it is one of my most personal films, if not my most personal film. So it's a film that is very close to me and very contemporary.
He noted a tonal shift from the earlier entries: the first was contemplative, the second a war movie, and the third takes a darker, more introspective turn. After completing the trilogy, Villeneuve is expected to move directly into pre-production on a new James Bond film for Amazon MGM.
Release
Dune: Part Three opens in theatres and Imax worldwide on December 18, 2026. The film is a Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures release.
