LAS VEGAS – Everyone knew that Warner Bros. would likely close its 2026 CinemaCon presentation with its major year-end release, “Dune Part Three.” And, as expected, director Denis Villeneuve was on hand as were stars Timothee Chalamet, Jason Momoa, and Zendaya, who has been on a non-stop promo tour for several projects over the past few weeks. What was unexpected was that not only would Villeneuve show an extended preview, but the first seven minutes of the film eight months out.
The film begins as a legion of military transport ships descends out of orbit. The soldiers on board are Fremen from Arrakis. It’s 17 years after the events of “Dune Part Two,” and Stilgar (Javier Bardem) is still leading his people into battle. Many are nervous. One cannot believe water will fall from the sky. But when they land, the bay doors open up, and rain falls on his hand.
They slowly leave the ship and proceed forward over a seemingly flat, water-drenched sand landscape in front of them. But then Stilgar hears something, and he yells at the soldiers to immediately fall to the ground. A laser cannon erupts in the distance, instantly killing many of the Freman, including one of the transport pilots. The onslaught is constant, many Freman are eviscerated in a sequence that parallels Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan,” but slowly Stilgar directs a group of men to underneath one of their transports, where he can implement an anti-shield weapon.
Using his binoculars, Stilgar sees that the fire is now coming from a massive, elongated oval ship that dominates the Freman’s ships even from at least a mile away. When Stilgar shoots his anti-shield gun, the two shells either miss or are deflected by the enemy. A look of horror appears on his face. The sequence ends with the massive ship hovering through the wreckage of the failed Fremen.
The film portion transitions to an extended new trailer, which re-introduces Duncan Idaho (Momoa), who is now known as Hayt. During the introduction, Momoa explains that Hayt is a ghola, essentially a grown clone of Duncan, given to the emperor (Chalamet) as a gift. However, as the preview plays on, Hayt appears concerned over the actions of his onetime friend Paul Atreides. Power and time appear to have corrupted Paul. And the entire empire is in danger.
Other new moments in the trailer centered on a bloody Alia Atredies (Anya Taylor-Joy), a battle-tested Chani (Zendaya), and the mysterious-looking Scytale (Robert Pattinson). We do not recall any shots of Lady Jessica (Rebecca Jurgeson) or Irulan (Florence Pugh), but they may have been part of the mix. The sneak ended with Paul back on Arrakis and a giant sandworm wailing to the sky.
During the introductory comments, Villeneuve said he “says he wanted to do something new for Part Three,” and that “it’s more of a thriller, action-packed, and more emotional.” The action is apparent from the beginning of the film, but audiences and cinephiles may not be prepared for Villeneuve outdoing himself on the epic scale of this third installment.
Chalamet says saying goodbye to “Dune” was deeply emotional after it had been part of his life for almost a decade. He’s grown up with Denis, and “it was moving to be working on an epic like ‘The Lord of the Rings.‘” He also remarked, “If we were all smart, we would make a shield around Denis because he’s the one and on another level” when it comes to filmmaking.
Currently, the Walt Disney Company has “Avengers: Doomsday” on the same release date as “Dune Part Three.” If any executives saw this footage, they may seriously consider moving the expected Marvel Studios blockbuster to December 11, as rumored. Because it appears Villeneuve has somehow taken his own work to another level with his final “Dune” chapter.
“Dune Part Three” opens nationwide on December 18
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