As Duke Leto Atreides once sort of said, "A great director doesn't seek to make movies — he's called to it." And speaking of great directors, perpetually booked and busy Quebecois auteur Denis Villeneuve is already back at it and gearing up for his next film. As reported by Deadline, the _Blade Runner 2049_filmmaker has been revealed to be the helmsman of Warner Bros. 'Untitled Event Film', slated for release in December 2026.
Now, Villeneuve is a man with many project plates spinning, including a long-gestating adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's sci-fi Rendezvous With Rama and a recently announced cinematic take on Annie Jacobsen's speculative non-fiction book Nuclear War: A Scenario. However, according to Deadline's sources, Warner Bros. and Legendary are holding that coveted December launch date in the hopes another hotly anticipated Villeneuve adaptation, Dune: Messiah, will fill it. The trade outlet's reporting at the very least confirms that the director's eagerly awaited Dune trilogy closer is the project Villeneuve is currently actively working on, though the script and new/returning cast for the sci-fi epic are yet to be locked in.
Now, we've no solid confirmation yet that this December 2026 Villeneuve joint *is* Dune: Messiah, but it would make sense. With Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya starrer Dune: Part Two having proven a sandworm-sized success at the box office earlier this year, and Bene Gesserit based spin-off series Dune: Prophecy well on its way, WB and Legendary will be keen to keep the Dune momentum — like spice — flowing. For now though, all we can do is hope, speculate, and wait for confirmation as to what exactly Denis is cooking up next — and we'll share that info as soon as it comes. But what we mustn't do is fear, for fear is the mind killer. Plus, y'know, any new Villeneuve is an immediate must-see. He is cinema's very own Lisan al-Gaib!