Dune: Messiah Possibly Confirmed by IMAX

IMAX announced an untitled Dune movie from Denis Villeneuve arrives in 2026.

By Timothy Adams

IMAX may have confirmed the existence of a Dune: Messiah movie by Denis Villeneuve. The filmmaker has brought Frank Herbert's sci-fi universe to the big screen with Dune, Dune: Part One, and Dune: Part Two, with the latter's ending setting up even more adventures on Arrakis. While an April report stated that Villeneuve and Legendary are developing a third movie in the Dune franchise, there has yet to be official confirmation that it is actually happening, or what the movie will be called. Well, it looks like we can thank IMAX for dropping new details on when we can expect Dune 3.

During IMAX's Q2 earnings call, the company dropped a slideshow detailing some of the big-budget movies coming to IMAX in 2026. Along with projects like the live-action Moana, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Toy Story 5, and The Mandalorian and Grogu is art for an untitled Dune-Denis Villeneuve movie from Warner Bros. Pictures. While it doesn't explicitly state the movie is Dune: Messiah, all signs point to the movie possibly adapting the story from the Frank Herbert novel. It could go with the Dune: Messiah name or decide to switch it up to something unique.

"Villeneuve and Legendary are currently developing a third movie in his Dune series that is based on the writings of sci-fi author Frank Herbert. Dune: Part Two, which hit theaters in March from Warner Bros., is currently the year's highest-grossing film domestically, having surpassed $250 million," THR wrote in its report on Dune: Messiah. 

When we asked him about a third Dune film earlier this year, Villeneuve said Dune: Messiah, as the film may be called, will only get made if the script is "tremendous."

"The longest thing and the most delicate moment; as Frank Herbert said at the beginning of Dune. beginnings are very delicate times. It's like screenwriting," the filmmaker told us at the time. "Dune Messiah – which, Dune 3, the title would be Dune Messiah – we'll see the day when the screenplay will be ready and I want to make sure that there will be no compromise. It has to be tremendous. All is there to make the fantastic film, and I don't want to mess it up."

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