Denis Villeneuve’s Next Film Gets 2026 Release, Will It Be ‘Dune 3’?

Denis Villeneuve‘s next feature is getting a holiday release, though it’s uncertain what that project will ultimately be.

Warner Bros. announced Friday that the filmmaker’s next “event film” will hit theaters Dec. 18, 2026, and that it hails from Legendary Entertainment, home to his Dune movies.

Plot details have not yet been shared, but Villeneuve, who most recently helmed Dune: Part Two, previously stated that a third Dune movie would likely not be his next film. He does have a nuclear war film set up at Legendary, but sources say that Villeneuve may have had a change of heart and could be turning his attention back to Dune. Legendary could not be reached for comment.

Warners also announced that an untitled movie in Legendary’s MonsterVerse franchise is set to hit theaters March 26, 2027. In a twinned move, a film project from Locksmith Animation that was previously scheduled for that date has been removed from the studio’s calendar. The latest MonsterVerse movie has Grant Sputore directing, stepping in for Adam Wingard.

Dune: Part Two hit theaters in March and has surpassed $700 million at the global box office. Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Austin Butler, the movie adapts the work of author Frank Herbert and centers on Paul Atreides (Chalamet) working with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen following the devastating events that befell his family.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the time of the Dune sequel’s release, Villeneuve was cagey about what he might be working on next and noted that he had four projects currently on the table. He said that any potential delay in getting started on adapting Hebert’s 1969 novel Dune Messiah for a third film would be “about making sure that I have the right screenplay.”

Villeneuve added at the time that he might want to work on a project that he deemed more time-sensitive “before tackling Dune Messiah.”

The most recent entry in the MonsterVerse series is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, director Wingard’s feature that hit theaters in late March and collected $567 million at the worldwide box office.

— Borys Kit contributed to this story.