Third time's the charm: the sand dunes are churning yet again, with confirmation that a third follow-up installation to the Dune franchise is underway. Director Denis Villeneuve signed on for a final instalment in the Dune multiverse in mid-2024, which will mirror the Dune: Messiah trajectory from the literary series which inspired the saga and, with any luck, the final piece will follow the rage success of Dune: Part 2.

What do we know about the film so far?

So far, everything's fair game. According to Deadline, pre-production is underway, and Villeneuve is prepping to being shooting in around June, 2025. Obviously, with A-listers like Timmy Chalamet and Zendaya leading the cast, there's some pretty stacked schedules that need to align in order to get things underway.

What's the plot?

In the last two films, the director has remained faithful to the source material, so aficionados Frank Herbert's books can (hopefully) expect no ugly surprises. Following this logic, Dune: Part Three will propel the audience into the future twelve years ahead. Villains and antagonists will also be more of a nebulous area: Harkonnens are also notably absent from the plot of Dune Messiah. We might expect less in-fighting with sand snakes and more court intrigue in the form of lengthy diatribes.

Who is in the cast?

The narrative will likely continue with the interplanetary crew of fighters we've loved from the first film: Paul Atreides (played by Timothee Chalamet), Chani (Zendaya) and newly-betrothed Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh). There's also Austin Butler, Javier Bardem, Léa Seydoux, and Stellan Skarsgård.

Lady Jessica, portrayed by Rebecca Ferguson is likely to join the rest, despite her character not being a part of the Dune Messiah book.

Is there a release date?

There has been no official release date confirmed as of yet, but we'll keep you updated here on anything desert-dweller or messianic. We'll let you know as soon as we find out.