Timothée Chalamet invoked comparisons to The Lord of the Rings trilogy while unveiling the new trailer for Dune: Part Three, teasing a 'very different' and more intense conclusion to director Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi saga. The 30-year-old actor reprises his role as Paul Atreides, now the galactic emperor, 17 years after the events of Dune: Part Two.
Chalamet Praises Villeneuve's Quick Turnaround
Speaking at a Q&A IMAX fan event live-streamed from Los Angeles to cinemas worldwide, including London, Chalamet expressed gratitude to Villeneuve for making the third film so soon after Dune: Part Two (2024). 'I'm very grateful to this man, he could have taken years between these projects and instead he buckled in and we got it done right away,' the actor said. He added, 'I'm a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I'm trying to imagine the last time someone knocked out three things so consecutively.'
The final Lord of the Rings film, The Return of the King, won 11 Oscars, while Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two won six and two Academy Awards, respectively. Chalamet quipped, 'In Denis we trust!'—a sentiment echoed by early reactions to the trailer.
Villeneuve's Creative Urgency
Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, 58, explained his change of heart after initially planning a longer break. 'We did both movies back-to-back and I was quite tired and said to everybody, "Listen, I'm taking a break,"' he recalled. However, he kept 'waking up in the night with images and these images started to get stronger and stronger.' He felt 'an appetite and a joy and a desire to finish that story and I felt a near responsibility.' Instead of returning to Arrakis 'by nostalgia,' he chose to go 'by necessity and honour these images that are coming to my mind right now.' He wrote the movie immediately, leading to the upcoming release.
Emotional Finality for Chalamet
Chalamet described his role as the most 'emotive' on a personal level, feeling nostalgic while filming. 'I felt there was a finality in the exercise that I was kind of nostalgic about, even the moment, even though I was 29 when we shot this, it still felt like I was losing a part of me by getting through it,' he shared.
The film is based on Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah, the second novel in the series. The trailer shows a corrupted Paul, with Chalamet's character saying, 'Forgive me for all I have done.' Robert Pattinson's shapeshifter Scytale plots regicide with Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), targeting Paul. The trailer also hints at Paul's former lover Chani (Zendaya).
Fan Reactions and Villain Arc
Fans reacted enthusiastically online. One YouTube user, Runkus, called it 'the best trailer I've ever seen for anything ever,' while another predicted 'a masterpiece incoming.' The Movie Optimist added, 'This is cinematic gold. It looks so freaking good.'
Addressing Paul's villain arc, Chalamet said, 'I hope it's more nuanced than that. I think it's one of the great things in Frank Herbert's book... people mistook Paul as a classic hero. He sort of wanted to warn the world what can happen when people blindly follow leaders, and that even the good can be corrupted.'
A Different Rhythm and Tone
Chalamet noted that Dune: Part Three differs from its predecessors: 'I think the first two are sort of siblings, and then this one is really its own energy, and I love that approach.' Villeneuve echoed this, saying, 'I said to my crew, I don't want to walk in our footsteps. I want us to bring the audience to a new part of Arrakis, something that's fresh and new.' He described the film as 'more of a thriller, it's a more intense story and it's definitely more emotional as well. It will be the third and last Dune movie. It's a Dune movie but it is a very different rhythm.'
Returning Cast and New Faces
Reprising their roles are Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Jason Momoa as Hayt, a resurrection of his character Duncan Idaho. Anya Taylor-Joy appears as Paul's sister Alia, after a cameo in the previous film. Chalamet praised her performance as 'unbelievable,' adding, 'Just visually, it was breathtaking. She's actually terrifying and amazing.'
Dune: Part Three releases in cinemas on December 18, 2026.
