Timothée Chalamet says 'Dune: Part Three' takes 'creative liberty'

BURBANK, Calif., July 8 (UPI) -- Warner Bros. released a new trailer for Dune: Part Three on Wednesday. Director Denis Villeneuve and star Timothée Chalamet answered questions from fans worldwide, from the AMC Burbank 16 theater in Burbank, Calif.

Set 20 years after Dune: Part Two, Paul Atreides (Chalamet) has married Princess Irulen (Florence Pugh) for peace. Peace has not come, however, and Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) considers Emperor Atreides beyond redemption.

"It's sort of Denis' mastery weaving in storylines that weren't explicit in the book," Chalamet, 30, said, adding that Paul's journey is "perhaps I would say where Denis took the most creative liberty, but it really ties the story together."

Based on Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah, Villeneuve, 58, described Part Three as different from his two-part adaptation of the original novel.

"It's a very different beast," Villeneuve said. "It's more of a thriller. It's a more intense story and it's a little bit more emotional as well."

Other returning cast includes Zendaya and Javier Bardem as Fremen Chani and Stilgar, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Paul's sister, Alia. Robert Pattinson joins the cast as Scytale, plotting against Paul.

"Anya is something special in this movie, as is Rob," Chalamet said. "That's not media hyperbole. She's actually terrifying."

Villeneuve also promised wild visuals not revealed in the trailer. Inspired by experimental shorts from the National Film Board of Canada, he hired a second unit to capture experimental images.

"That unit was called The Psychedelic Unit," Villeneuve said. "Their task was to bring some crazy images that you will see in the movie."

Next week, the opening scene of the film will show before IMAX screenings of The Odyssey. It shows a 70mm IMAX battle sequence led by Stilgar.

Villeneuve had planned to take a break from Dune before returning, but found the art calling him back.

"I kept waking up in the night with images," he said. "These images started to get stronger and stronger. As we were touring for Part Two, I felt an appetite and a joy and a desire to finish that story. I felt a responsibility."

Dune: Part Three opens December 18.

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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 11:59 AM.