Warner Bros. and Legendary Set Denis Villeneuve Event Film for 2026, Next MonsterVerse Movie for 2027

Warner Bros. has announced a slew of changes to their release schedule, most notably slotting an untitled event film from Legendary and “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve for Dec. 18, 2026 in IMAX.

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Following the massive success of “ Dune : Part Two,” Villeneuve entered into talks with Legendary for an adaptation of Annie Jacobsen’s Pulitzer Prize finalist “ Nuclear War: A Scenario .” It’s not yet clear if that project will land in this new release slot.

Jacobsen’s book “explores a ticking-clock scenario about what would happen in the event of a nuclear war, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who built the weapons and have been privy to the response plans and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made.”

Legendary is also working with Villeneuve to develop a third “Dune” film. “Dune: Part Two,” starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Rebecca Ferguson, earned $282 million domestically and $711 million worldwide. It was the top-grossing film of 2024 before Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” dethroned it this week.

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Elsewhere on the Warner Bros. release calendar, an untitled Monsterverse film has also been slated for March 26, 2027. The latest film in the franchise, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” was released in theaters March 29, opening to a huge $80 million at the box office, marking the highest opening of director Adam Wingard’s career and the second-highest of the franchise.

An animated film from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith, previously set for the same date, has been removed but remains on the slate of upcoming projects and is dated for July 23, 2027.

'Dune: Part Two' Sets Max Release Date