By George & Josh Bate
Rounding out Warner Bros.’ spectacular CinemaCon 2026 presentation was a rousing special look at Dune: Part Three.
The studio brought out dozens of costumed actors as Fremen, two of whom were attached to ceiling wires and made to slowly float in the air like the characters at the beginning of Dune: Part Two.
Director Dennis Villeneuve was present at CinemaCon to discuss the film, alongside stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Jason Momoa.
In describing the film, Villeneuve made it known that he did not want to make a film that repeated the beats of its two predecessors. “I didn’t want to walk into my own footsteps,” the filmmaker remarked. “[The first movie] was more meditative, more contemplative. Part Two was a war movie. This one is a thriller, more action packed, faster paced, more intense, and more emotional.”
Villeneuve later said that he made Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two for himself, but that Dune: Part Three is for the fans. After initially wishing to tackle the project later down the line, Villeneuve felt compelled to complete this story due to fan demand for it.
Villeneuve reminisced about completing a decade-long journey to faithfully bring Dune to the big screen. “It was quite emotional for me to bring them back one last time in front of the camera and say farewell to Paul and Chani in the desert,” he said. “We became like a small family. This was 10 years of our life.”
Chalamet took the time to highlight Villeneuve as one of the industry’s top filmmakers. In speaking to a room full of exhibitors and people heavily invested in the theatrical moviegoing experience, the Academy Award nominated actor urged everyone to create a shield around Villeneuve so that he can always make movies.
Chalamet questionably compared Villeneuve to his character Paul Atreides at one point, which seems a tad off given Atreides being responsible for murdering billions. But let’s skip past that.
Dune: Part Three takes place 17 years after Part Two. Zendaya confirmed that “the years aren’t kind to anyone in Dune.” This is particularly true of Paul, who Chalamet described as having “become his worst vision.” He elaborated, “Seventeen years later, he’s struggling to regain the parts of himself that he sees the most and protect the parts he loves the most.”
Villeneuve was quick to label Part Three as “more of a redemption story, but still the heartbeat of the film is the love story between [Zendaya’s] Chani and Paul.
Jason Momoa, meanwhile, spoke about returning to the Dune franchise after missing out on Part Two. This time around, Momoa plays Hayt, a Tleilaxu ghola (or resurrected flesh) of Duncan Idaho, his character from Part One.
Villeneuve then presented the first seven minutes of Dune: Part Three to the CinemaCon crowd.
The movie begins with a thumping sound that accompanies the Warner Bros.’ logo and the opening credits. We are then plummeted into space as ships that look like black rectangles descend through a thunder storm and toward a planet. A lightning storm rages on that strikes a number of the ships down.
Inside the ships are numerous soldiers, including Javier Bardem’s Stilgar and Isaach de Bankolé’s Farok. Stilgar appears committed to the mission, although his facial expressions suggest a man that may harbor some regret over his dedication to Paul Atreides.
The soldiers discuss a “miracle” that water falls from the sky, hopefully prophesying their victory in the forthcoming battle. They begin to chant the war cry that can be heard from the first publicly released trailer.
The remaining ships then land on a gray, rainy planet. As the ramps open, the soldiers are surprised and delighted to see water descend from the sky above. Led by Stilgar, various units of soldiers proceed forward across a barren field before they suddenly halt. Stilgar immediately tells everyone to get down, after which a booming weapon starts shooting at them. Some of the soldiers are destroyed immediately, others are launched in the air. The weapon is massive and loud in a way that shakes your ribcage.
The soldiers desperately seek cover as Stilgar manages to get his hands on a massive weapon to fight back against the enemy’s. He says that they will need to shoot three blasts at the enemy’s weapon in order to disable its shield. Stilgar proceeds to do this, only to see his blasts bounce off the shield and back toward his team. Farok is injured, one soldier deserts his comrades, and the scene comes to an end.
The footage then transitions to a new trailer for Dune: Part Three. Jason Momoa’s Hayt tells Paul Atreides, “I think you’re way beyond redemption.” A bloodied Anya-Taylor Joy dressed in a white shawl can be seen looking at cards. We catch a glimpse of Robert Pattinson’s Tleilaxu Face Dancer character Scytale. Chani and Paul confront one another, and Chani points a gun at her. The trailer concludes with a massive sand worm erupting from beneath the sand.
It’s only day two of CinemaCon, but Dune: Part Three by far and away is the best film we’ve seen showcased yet. Villeneuve directs an action set-piece with jaw-dropping scale and scope. The thunderous sound design and mammoth visuals create such an epic atmosphere. During the panel, Chalamet compared the Dune trilogy to The Lord of the Rings. When all is said and done, Villeneuve may just have crafted a sci-fi trilogy that ranks alongside Peter Jackson’s films as one of the best trilogies of all time.
Dune: Part Three is in theaters December 18, 2026