Dune fans treated to epic Prophecy trailer and Dune 3 details

There’s a feast of teasers for Dune fans, with a new Dune: Prophecy trailer and fresh hints of what to expect from Dune 3.

Let’s start with the far-off stuff: those Dune 3 teasers.

During a panel at a Deadline’s Contenders show in London, director Denis Villeneuve talked briefly about his plans for the film, including some of the least surprising plot “spoilers” of the moment.

“In order to save his friends, [Atreides] has to start a war,” he said, as reported by ComicBook.

These films are based on the Dune series of Frank Herbert books, so we knew that one was coming.

But he also stresses the film is not necessarily going to go ahead with him on-board, because his ambitions were all about those first two movies.

“First, It’s important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych,” he said. “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.”

As many Dune fans will know, the original book is the strongest in the series. Dune Messiah, the source for this third film, is much less of an adventure.

You'd have a job making it feel like the original duo of movies even if you wanted to.

It’s considered solid gold next to the source used for the upcoming Dune: Prophecy TV show, though, which is out on HBO Max on November 17. It will stream on NOW for UK viewers.

Dune: Prophecy is based on 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune, released almost 26 years after the death of Dune author Frank Herbert. It’s a book from his son Brian Herbert and prolific sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson. This duo is behind far more books than Frank Herbert, who wrote six "canon" Dune tomes.

Still, the trailer looks pretty epic:

Dune: Prophecy stars Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen, operating around the time the Bene Gesserit was formed. Other top cast members include Olivia Williams, playing Valya’s sister. And Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino.

The show is set 10,000 years before the events of the films, but Dune: Prophecy has no known ties to Denis Villeneuve. It's a separate project, nourished by the success of the Dune movies.

Dune: Prophecy is a six-part series, with episodes set to air one a week, the last showing just a few days before Christmas.

Meanwhile, despite Villeneuve’s reticence to confirm he actually wants to direct Dune: Part 3, Warner Bros. has already given it a release date of December 18, 2026.

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