- Timothée Chalamet confirmed he shaved his head for Dune: Part Three and revealed the film takes place approximately 15 to 20 years after the events of Part Two.
- Warner Bros. dropped nine character posters featuring the full returning ensemble, including Robert Pattinson as new villain Scytale, Zendaya as Chani, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides, and Jason Momoa as Hayt.
- Chalamet dropped the first look the night of the Oscars, just hours after losing Best Actor to Michael B. Jordan, and confirmed the full trailer drops today, March 17.
Nobody does a comeback moment quite like Timothée Chalamet.
He lost the Oscar on Sunday night. And then, hours later, he dropped this. The first look at Dune: Part Three arrived via Chalamet’s Instagram Story on March 16, and Paul Atreides looks noticeably different, more downtrodden and worn, with wrinkles around his eyes and red scarring. This is not the wide-eyed desert warrior from Part One. This is not even the fire-eyed messiah from Part Two. This is something darker altogether.
Fans immediately lost their minds. One comment read: “Timothée about to have the greatest villain comeback era.” Another simply said: “Most anticipated movie of a lifetime.” Hard to argue with either.
Paul Atreides Is Not the Hero Anymore
That is the whole point, and the first look makes it impossible to miss. Paul’s face appears scarred and burned, his blue eyes peering out through a Fremen stillsuit mask. Chalamet previously described Dune: Part Three as the “eeriest” entry in the trilogy and called his return to the role “sacred,” noting this will be his last film in the franchise.
For those unfamiliar with the source novel, Dune: Part Three follows Paul roughly 12 years after he seized control of the known universe, instigated a holy war across worlds, and became responsible for the deaths of billions. He convinced himself it was the best possible outcome. Not everyone around him agrees.
This is not a victory lap. This is a reckoning.
The Cast That Should Have Everyone Talking
Nine character posters dropped alongside Chalamet’s image, featuring the full ensemble: Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Jason Momoa as Hayt, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Isaach De Bankolé as Farok, and Robert Pattinson making his debut as the new villain Scytale.
Each image carries a darker aesthetic than anything seen in the prior films, with aged characters, weathered expressions, and a power-hungry intensity the earlier installments only hinted at. Director Denis Villeneuve has said multiple times that this final chapter will expand the roles of Pugh, Seydoux, and Taylor-Joy significantly, all three of whom had only brief appearances in Part Two.
“Dunesday” Is Already a thing.
Here is the detail that has the entire internet in a chokehold. Dune: Part Three is currently set to release on December 18, 2026, the same date as Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday. Fans have already dubbed the day “Dunesday,” drawing comparisons to Barbenheimer in 2023.
Two of the biggest films of the decade are dropping on the same day. Cinema is going to be absolutely unhinged that weekend.
Villeneuve has said this will be his final Dune film and that he views Part Three not as a traditional trilogy closer, but as something entirely its own, with a different identity from everything that came before it.
The trailer is out today. The film hits theatres on December 18. And Paul Atreides is no longer the hero of this story.
