Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 2 was met with unending praise upon its release and fans are eagerly waiting to see where the franchise is headed next. The development of Dune 3 has already been confirmed officially by none other than the director himself. But wait! There’s more to the update. The next film in the series will take inspiration from Frank Herbert’s book, Dune Messiah.
Now, Warner Bros. has set a release date for Denis Villeneuve’s next film which may or may not be Dune 3. However, it looks like the filmmaker will have some competition the day it hits theatres because a Star Wars film, too, has been lined up for the same release date.
Denis Villeneuve vs. Star Wars
We have no idea what Denis Villeneuve’s next project is going to be but we do know that it will be released in theatres on December 18, 2026. While the date seems to be too far from today, fans can find solace in the fact that good things take time and thus Villeneuve can take as much time as he wants to deliver a film as good as Dune 2 or better.
On the other hand, another franchise with a huge fan following will be releasing a film on the same date – Star Wars.
Denis Villeneuve’s next film, which might be ‘DUNE 3’, and a new ‘STAR WARS’ film will now release on the same day, December 18, 2026.
See what other movies are releasing soon: https://t.co/yE0mtSFHLj pic.twitter.com/Qi7y2cFwCY
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 28, 2024
2026 might be a big year for Star Wars as Disney announced that 2 films will be released in the year and one in 2027. The dates are May 22, 2026, Dec 18, 2026, and Dec 17, 2027. While it hasn’t been revealed which film will get the Dec 18 slot, chances are that it’ll be the untitled Rey movie starring Daisy Ridley.
As for Villeneuve’s film, no one knows for sure if it’s actually Dune 3 that’s coming out in 2026. There is another film the director is attached to which is Nuclear War based on Annie Jacobsen’s non-fiction novel. His next film could very well be this or it could also be Dune 3 which is based on Frank Herbert’s 1969 novel, Dune Messiah.
If neither of the studios pulls away from the date, it looks like two big movies will be going head-to-head in 2026. The question is, who will emerge victorious?
Majority of Fans Vote for Denis Villeneuve
Fans seem to be convinced that the film releasing in 2026 with the Star Wars movie is going to be Dune 3, without a doubt. Due to this assumption, they seem to be a little too sure that Villeneuve’s project will beat Star Wars without breaking a sweat.
As per the fans, Dune is far better than Star Wars today especially since the latter has been losing its charm lately and the former’s fan-following has only been multiplying for all the right reasons.
Here’s what they had to say about the battle:
If it is 'MESSIAH', Disney better have their sh*t buttoned up and have an absolute banger with whatever that Star Wars movie is.
Because we know what Denis is bringing to the table.
— The Wealth Dad (@thewealthdad) June 28, 2024
Dune is better than Star Wars at this point in time
Especially if it will be Dune 3 vs the new Rey movie 🤮
— Freckle TV (@FreckleTrivia) June 28, 2024
Star Wars getting delayed or moved, Messiah is a damn near lock for a billion, SW these days, not so much
— LT🌐 (@LT__Media) June 28, 2024
Dune Messiah is going mop the floor with this next Star Wars
— Stevenwrestlingfan98 (@stevenwwefan98) June 28, 2024
Disney NEEDS to pull back! The DUNE films are dominating Audiences, Critics, and Box Office. While current Star Wars has been in a complete failure for years. If they decide to still release it along side with Dune: Messiah (W/Denis) it’ll one hell of an ass kicking for Disney
— Obsessive Movie Geek (@The_OMG_Critic) June 28, 2024
Dune 3 is going to blow Star Wars out of the water and then maybe Disney will realize who they need to cater to
— The King (@Mayethegoat69) June 28, 2024
If the 2026 film is actually Dune 3, we aren’t sure if Star Wars will even have a fighting chance in the first place. However, if it’s Nuclear War, there might be there might be an entirely different dynamic at play. In the end, the moviegoing audience is nothing if not unpredictable, and only time will tell which film takes the win.
