Third time's the charm: the sand dunes are churning yet again as a follow-up installation in the Dune franchise has been confirmed. Denis Villeneuve has signed on for a final instalment in the Dune multiverse, which will mirror the Dune: Messiah trajectory from the literary series which inspired the saga. The ongoing film in discussion based on Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi masterpiece will follow the rage success of Dune: Part 2.

 

What do we know about the film so far?

So far, everything's fair game. We know that Villeneuve is keen to put together a third installation based on his interview with TIME at the start of the year, and now Legendary, the production company behind the first two films, has confirmed the news with media.

In the last two films, the director has remained faithful to the source material, so aficionados of the books can (hopefully) expect no ugly surprises.

 

What's the plot?

Dune: Part Three will also propel watchers 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).

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.