Now that the award season has closed its curtain, it’s time to anticipate the new films dropping in 2026. There are so many films to consider, such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, Project Hail Mary, and more, although one of my most anticipated films for 2026 would be Dune: Part Three. After witnessing the immersive and extraordinary film Dune: Part Two in 2024, I was anticipating a wait of at least four years for the final film. That was the case until April 2024, when it was reported that due to the success of Dune: Part Two, the director, Denis Villeneuve, would return to the helm of the project to conclude the trilogy. I was so ecstatic to see that the director was fully on board with finishing his outstanding trilogy.
Now for those who aren’t big film nerds, Dune: Part One was released on Oct. 22, 2021, although it was supposed to have a 2020 release. Because of the pandemic, it was moved to 2021. It was then released on the streaming platform HBO Max on Dec. 3, 2021. The cast was very stacked: Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, and many more. Dune: Part One was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won six for Best Sound, Original Score, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Best Production Design, and Best Art Direction. This is huge considering the Academy isn’t always so big on sci-fi films. Then on Oct. 26, 2021, it was announced that there would be a second Dune film, as Villeneuve had always intended a two-film adaptation. So, from that, Dune: Part Two was in production for around three years due to production changes and the actors and writers strike. Initially, the film was scheduled for release in October 2023, but it was released on March 1, 2024. Dune: Part Two wasn’t as praised by the Academy as the first one. It was nominated for only five and won two. Now, after believing we would have to wait another three years for part three, we finally got an official teaser trailer for what we will be witnessing in the epic conclusion.
To talk about the teaser itself, there are so many things I could mention. While we haven’t gotten much of what will happen in this film, we do get a glimpse of what has occurred since the events of the second. For those who don’t know, the film centers on Paul Atreides, played by Chalamet, as we follow his rise to power, navigating destiny and betrayal on a planet called Arrakis. That’s the most I’ll summarize without giving away too much, although we’re talking more about the new Dune: Part Three teaser trailer. On March 17, there was a special live stream on TikTok to unveil the teaser, which in my opinion seemed a bit weird that they decided TikTok would be the best option, when they could have done a YouTube stream. But I digress; the teaser was so monumental because of the amazing visuals that will be shown in the film. We’re dropped into the chaos and reign that occurs now that Atreides is a major leader, and from that, we see how far that’ll take him. There seems to be a lot of war and chaos in this film. Besides that, the film features so many outstanding visuals. My personal favorite was a short clip of Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays the younger sister of Atreides, in a flowy white gown, standing in the desert with her arms outstretched. Other than that, all of the visuals in this film will definitely be even more majestic in IMAX.
All in all, this movie is definitely going to be one of the best to look at. Villeneuve’s eye as a director is one of the best, and I cannot wait for the final conclusion of this film. I can’t wait to see the amazing performances by Zendaya and Taylor-Joy, and, I guess … Chalamet as well. As long as he stays quiet during the press tour, then I’ll be satisfied.