Denis Villeneuve’s next film has been given an official release date.
Warner Bros. has announced that Dune and Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve is directing a new movie that will be released on December 18, 2026. The film is described as an “event” and will also be released in IMAX.
What else do we know about Denis Villeneuve’s next movie?
Further details remain under wraps at this time. The movie was previously referred to as an “untitled WB family event film” prior to the announcement that Villeneuve is helming the project, though it’s unclear if it will still be targeted at families.
According to Deadline, the mystery project could be Dune 3, also known as Dune Messiah. “Sources said the studio and Legendary are holding the date with expectations that he wraps up the spectacular trilogy with Dune 3,” Deadline’s article states. “Hurdles still have to be cleared as they’re still working on script and locking cast, but it is the project Villenueve has been working on.”
Villeneuve has, however, previously stated that he intends to make another, secret movie before tackling Dune Messiah.
He told The Hollywood Reporter this past March, “I have four projects on the table, currently. One of them is a secret project that I cannot talk about right now, but that needs to see the light of day quite quickly. So it would be a good idea to do something in between projects, before tackling Dune Messiah and Cleopatra. All these projects are still being written, so we’ll see where they go, but I have no control over that.”
Deadline also reported in April 2024 that Villeneuve is directing a film adaptation of Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario; although, the publication reported that “the expectation is that Villeneuve would take this one as another giant project after he completes Dune: Messiah.”
In addition to the two Dune movies, Villeneuve is known for directing 2013’s Prisoners (starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal), 2013’s Enemy (starring Gyllenhaal), 2015’s Sicario (starring Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin), 2016’s Arrival (starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner), and 2017’s Blade Runner 2049 (starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford).
Denis Villeneuve’s next movie releases in United States theaters and IMAX on December 18, 2026.
Source: Warner Bros.
Brandon Schreur
Brandon Schreur has been writing about comics, movies, television shows, and all things pop culture for roughly five years. He's a lifelong cinephile who spends way, way too much money buying Blu-rays and trade paperbacks. You can find him on twitter at @brandonschreur.
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