Um, Zendaya And Timothée Chalamet Might Not Be In 'Dune 3'
Both Dune and Dune 2 were such cinematic feats that people compared them to seeing Star Wars for the first time. The world building is so massive, engrossing, and beautiful that when I watched both movies, I felt like I was on Arrakis instead of in my comfy AMC recliner. And the fact I got to attend part of the New York premiere made me feel even more like an Atreides.
Ever since Timothée's Paul stepped into the role of Lisan al Gaib and agreed to marry Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), and Zendaya's Chani left the group rather than accept his title, fans have been on the absolute edge of their seats to see what will happen between these beloved characters. And no wonder, considering the ending is different than the book's ending! There is no precedent for Chani and Paul's separation! But in a shocking turn of events, director Denis Villeneuve revealed Dune 3 might not connect to the other two movies like we've all been anticipating.
Is there a Dune 3 coming?
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Yes, Dune 3 is in "in progress," Denis Villeneuve told Vanity Fair in February. “I want to make sure that if we go back there a third time that it'll be worth it, and that it would make something even better than Part Two. It needs to be different."
"If I do a third [Dune movie], which is in the writing process, it's not like a trilogy," he tells Vanity Fair. "It's important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych. It was really a pair of movies that will be the adaptation of the first book. That's done and that's finished."
Dune: Messiah opens 12 years after the first Dune book, and Paul has totally conquered the known world and fights to lead the empire without bringing them all to destruction.
Will Zendaya & Timothée Chalamet be in Dune 3?
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This is where it get a little tricky. Because while Dune: Messiah follows the second half of Paul's journey, Denis Villeneuve isn't interested in making a trilogy. He also admits the "problem" of figuring out how to bring the existing cast into the third movie since it takes place a decade later. So that means we could see a whole new cast.
Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy have expressed interest in returning for a third movie, but no one has confirmed whether they'll return — and even if Dune 3 did find a way to age Timothée, Zendaya, and Florence up, I doubt Anya Taylor-Joy (who voiced an unborn character named Alia) would play a 12-year-old.
Z says "of course" she would "be down" to return to the world of Arrakis, while Anya "hopes" another Dune movie is in her future. We might not know the Dune 3 cast, but I need to know what happens to Chani and Paul after she leaves the Fremen. Does she ever come back? Does their relationship ever heal? I NEED TO KNOW DENIS.
When is Dune 3 coming out?
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Considering the movie is still in early pre-production, we won't see it until 2026. But this isn't a surprise! Dune was released in October 2021 and Dune 2 was originally scheduled for an October 2023 release (until the Hollywood strikes pushed it to March 2024). So a two-year wait is to be expected.
Is Chani in Dune Messiah?
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Yes, Chani is in Dune: Messiah. And, spoiler alert!!, she becomes pregnant with twins Ghanima and Leto II but ends up dying in childbirth.
Do Paul and Chani end up together?
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Y'all won't believe this, but yes, Paul and Chani technically end up together — as resurrected clones called gholas. In Sandworms of Dune (written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson), Paul and Chani reawaken and Paul reaffirms his love for her after five thousand years. TBH, it's the least he could do after all that drama.
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Even if Zendaya isn't in Dune 3, she is rumored to team up with Denis Villeneuve for his upcoming Cleopatra biopic. Check out the latest news here! Read up on Dune: Prophecy Features A Beloved Bridgerton Cast Member for more.