Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Messiah’ Moves Into ‘Children of Dune’ Territory With Casting of Atreides Twins

Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Messiah” continues to take shape, and the latest casting news brings in two major players from Frank Herbert’s lore: the Atreides twins.

According to Nexus Point News, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke have officially been cast as Leto II and Ghanima, the children of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya).

Momoa and Brooke’s inclusion confirms recent rumors of a time jump in the upcoming sequel—one that would age up the twins well beyond their original appearance as newborns at the end of “Dune Messiah,” and leak into its sequel “Children of Dune.”

While plot details remain tightly guarded, it’s now clear Villeneuve is leaning further into “Children of Dune” territory. Of course, he might only be adapting a couple of pages from the novel, or if wildly ambitious, will be reshaping the trilogy’s trajectory to explore the rise of Leto II and Ghanima. I’m betting it’s the former.

One of the more intriguing elements? Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, son of Jason Momoa, will be making his big-screen debut here, and not just anywhere, but acting alongside his father, who returns as the resurrected Duncan Idaho (now a ghola created by Pattinson’s Scytale).

Cameras are scheduled to roll on “Dune: Messiah” beginning July 7, with production expected to stretch through the end of 2025. Villeneuve is back in the director’s chair and co-writing once again. Chalamet, Zendaya, and Momoa will return, joined by Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Javier Bardem.

If all goes to plan, “Dune: Messiah” should hit theaters December 16, 2026.