What’s in a name?
Denis Villeneuve‘s upcoming return to Arrakis is officially entitled “Dune: Part Three.” Reports had called the film “Dune Messiah,” a nod to the 1969 book from Frank Herbert that the film will adapt as its storyline, following Paul “Muad’Dib” Atreides as he takes over as emperor. On Rentrak, the film is listed as “Dune: Part Three.”
The film will also include sequences shot with Imax cameras. However, “Dune: Part Three” will not be entirely shot with Imax cameras, following in the footsteps of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” which is the first and so far only film to be produced that way.
In an interview on CNBC, Imax CEO Richard Gelfond seemed to suggest that the next “Dune” would be filmed entirely with the company’s proprietary cameras, but it appears he misspoke. During the end of the interview, Gelfond was asked about Villeneuve being hired by Amazon MGM Studios to direct their reboot of the James Bond franchise. The exec’s response also touched on the director’s plans for “Dune: Part Three” at Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment, which will film before the 007 revival.
“From a personal point of view, I was really happy. I like him. I think he’s a genius filmmaker,” Gelfond said about the Bond hiring. “He’s so creative. He’s making the next ‘Dune’ — with Imax cameras, he’s filming the whole thing. So we haven’t started talking yet, but I’m praying that that’s the case with Bond.”
A spokesperson for Legendary did not respond to requests for comment.
Gelfond also touted Imax’s success through the year’s summer blockbuster season, citing that “F1” earned 23% of its opening weekend grosses in Imax auditoriums. Meanwhile, “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” did 20% in Imax its first two weeks.
“Think of 20% of the box office, when we’re less than 1% of the screens. The public is really demanding it,” Gelfond said.
Filming on “Dune: Part Three” is set to begin imminently, with Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya reprising their roles. Jason Momoa has also confirmed he will return for “Part Three,” after featuring in the first “Dune” but not appearing in “Part Two.”
Last year, Villeneuve spoke about the film and said the next “Dune” installment “will not be the completion of a trilogy” in his eyes.
“First, it’s important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych,” Villeneuve said of the first two “Dune” movies. “It was really a pair of movies that will be the adaptation of the first book. That’s done and that’s finished. If I do a third one, which is in the writing process, it’s not like a trilogy. It’s strange to say that, but if I go back there, it’s to do something that feels different and has its own identity.”
In a recent interview with Variety, Bruce Markoe, senior vice president and head of post-production at Imax, explained what a movie being “shot with Imax” means for audiences and filmmakers.
“Those movies that were shot with our film cameras receive that kind of nomenclature. Those are different than the ‘Filmed for Imax’ movies, which are all shot with digital cameras. However, a lot of the same kind of process takes place in the making of the movie when they’re shooting with our film cameras,” Markoe said. “Those movies still do a lot of testing and reviews, and filmmakers work very closely with us throughout the entire production, since it’s our camera on set, whereas the ‘Filmed for Imax’ program is using certified digital cameras that are not necessarily unique to us.”
“Dune: Part Three” is expected to arrive in theaters in December 2026.
Brent Lang contributed to this report.
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