After spending a number of years on Arrakis, director Denis Villeneuve said he wanted to go some place else for his subsequent undertaking. And whereas we don’t know “the place” that’s, we do know “when.” Warner Bros. simply set a December 18, 2026 launch date for Villenuve’s subsequent film, which is described as an “occasion movie.” It higher be too, as a result of, because it stands now, the opposite film set to release on that date is a brand new Star Wars movie.
Within the aftermath of Dune: Part Two’s release earlier this 12 months, Villeneuve not solely spoke about making a 3rd Dune, Dune Messiah, however was attached to at least one other project. That’s Nuclear Battle, primarily based on a non-fiction ebook by Annie Jacobsen that makes an attempt to color a sensible image of what an precise nuclear struggle, and its fallout, would appear to be. This 2026 movie may very well be that or, in an enormous twist, it’d really be Dune Messiah. Deadline appears to assume it’s Dune and the Hollywood Reporter teases the identical. It’s unclear for sure although.
What is obvious nonetheless is Warner Bros. isn’t messing round with regardless of the title is. As of now, the untitled Star Wars movie (presumably the Rey film) is the one movie to have a launch date in December 2026. The entire remainder of the month is empty. Whether it is Dune Messiah, why would the studio decide that particular date to go up towards Star Wars? It may decide actually some other date. However no, it particularly picked December 18 which may imply it’s counter-programming to Star Wars—like some type of massive Oscar-bait factor—or the studio doesn’t consider Star Wars will occur. There’s no means it might launch Dune Messiah the identical day as a Star Wars film, proper?
Both means, if anybody may launch a movie to compete with Star Wars, it’s Denis Villeneuve. And Dune could be simply the factor too.
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