Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated return to the sands of Arrakis now has an official title: “Dune: Part Three.”
Though early reports had referred to the project as “Dune: Messiah”—a direct reference to Frank Herbert’s 1969 novel on which the film is based—Warner Bros. appears to be going with a more straightforward numerical approach.
This further hints that Villeneuve could be tackling not just ‘Messiah,’ but also parts of the fourth book, “Children of Dune.” Furthermore, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke recently joined cast as Leto II and Ghanima, the children of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya).
Momoa and Brooke’s inclusion confirmed 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 with ‘Part Three.’ Of course, Villeneuve 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.
Meanwhile, as production begins in Budapest, Timothee Chalamet has been spotted with a shaved head, which means Paul Atreides will no longer be sporting his usual medium-length, shaggy hair-do in “Dune: Part Three.”