A lot of fans didn’t even think Dune: Messiah was going to happen, but the film is currently underway, and it’s set to come out in the next few years. With Denis Villeneuve saying that he wants to end his movies with a trilogy, it looks like WB is ready to milk the most of the franchise even without him.
According to insider Daniel Richtman (via ComicBookMovie), a fourth Dune movie is already moving forward even without Denis Villeneuve, and it’s expected to cover the story of the Atreides that follow after Paul. Though it’s unclear where Villeneuve is going with Messiah, it’s speculated that he’s going to go way off book this time around; especially with the change in Chani’s character.
In the original book, Chani was devoted to Paul and was aware of his plan to take Irulan as his bride. But in the movie, Chani rejects Paul toward the end, since she knows that his rise as the Kwisatz Haderach is nothing more but the continuation of Bene Gesserit plan that would keep the Fremen enslaved.
The further the Dune books went, things just went a lot weirder, with one of Paul and Chani’s children living for centuries and becoming a human/worm hybrid. The ending of Messiah will probably inform how Dune 4 will go, but as of now, some are doubting the franchise being able to move forward without Villeneuve.
On the other hand, it does seem that Dune: Prophecy is doing pretty well for itself, despite not getting the same hype as the original films.
For now, it’s best to take the news with a grain of salt, but hopefully more will be revealed as development for Dune: Messiah continues. The movie is expected to hit theaters on Dec. 16, 2026.
