Timothée Chalamet calls Dune: Part Three a 'big swing' for the franchise: 'It's the eeriest one'

In a featured conversation at a town hall session hosted by Variety and CNN, Timothée Chalamet revealed fresh details about the upcoming Dune: Part Three. The actor discussed the filmic influences and technical preparation that went into his last performance as Paul Atreides. Former co-star Matthew McConaughey joined him in his remarks.

When is Dune: Part Three scheduled for release?

Reuniting for the first time since their 2014 appearance in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar as father and son, the two actors attended the reunion ceremony. Although Dune: Part Three is set to be released on December 18, 2026, Chalamet has mostly kept mum regarding the production up until this point.

The actor drew parallels between the development of his character in Denis Villeneuve's trilogy and the careers of other legendary actors during their conversation.

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How did Timothée Chalamet qualify his comparison to Hollywood legends?

"What I think you see at the end of the second one, and across the third one, is yourself in Interstellar and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now and stuff like that," Chalamet informed McConaughey.

He chuckled and quickly elaborated, saying, "Actually, wait, let me rephrase all of that! Hold up. I cannot put myself in that same boat. Let’s just say, it’s these big movies where you could sneak in something. A curveball."

Why did Timothée Chalamet feel more comfortable on the third film compared to the first?

In the first instalment, Chalamet plays Duke Leto Atreides. He also gave Oscar Isaac credit for assisting him in navigating the production's massive scale. He asserted that his study of Isaac's approach to the original material allowed him to exercise "more liberty than ever" in the third film.

"He treated it in a Shakespearean way—to play it heightened and not really care about it being heightened," Chalamet remarked.

What specific preparation did Timothée Chalamet undergo for the ornithopter sequences?

Despite his eventual success in the franchise, the actor still found the leap to big-budget science fiction to be intimidating. "On the first Dune film, I felt kind of thrown by the futurism. I was coming off Beautiful Boy and Call Me by Your Name and movies that were a lot more naturalistic, and this was a huge movie, so I felt intimidated. But especially on this third one, all the great shit you see on screen is from freedom of movement and freedom of choice. And with Denis, we really had a good rhythm. It’s the eeriest one. It’s a big swing," he remarked.

Chalamet spoke about how the technical aspects of the Dune universe have become more important to him than the thematic ones. He brought up his experience with the "ornithopter", the trademark dragonfly-like aircraft of the franchise, in particular.

"On the first Dune, we had an ornithopter sequence that I got a chance to do again in the third, but this time I was way more geared up. On Dune 3, as opposed to the first movie, I came out early and studied the control panel — all sorts of hieroglyphics and things that aren’t tethered to reality. I wanted to know what each button did and invent a dynamic for myself with it," Chalamet added.

How did Timothée Chalamet maintain his intensity during the final days of filming?

The actor is having a really successful awards season right now. Chalamet recently received nominations for the Academy Awards for both A Complete Unknown, a biopic of Bob Dylan, and Marty Supreme, an A24 ping-pong drama. The actor shot the three Dune instalments in quick succession, indicating that the pressure was intense.

In his last days on set for Arrakis, Chalamet commented, "I didn’t want to be complacent about a single moment. Everything was sacred, and it was my last time doing a Dune film, so I really wanted to treat it as sacred. Because people can get complacent, but I was more intense on the third one. It felt like that was the natural momentum, so I wanted to push against that as hard as I could."

Which major blockbuster will Dune: Part Three compete against at the box office?

Moviegoers might anticipate Dune: Part Three to be an adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah. It will release in December opposite one of the most anticipated box office battles of the decade, Avengers: Doomsday from Marvel Studios.

Dune FAQs:

Q: When is the release date for Dune: Part Three?

A: Dune: Part Three, which is expected to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, is officially scheduled for release in theaters on December 18, 2026. The film will see Denis Villeneuve return as director to conclude the story of Paul Atreides.

Q: Will Timothée Chalamet be in Dune: Part Three?

A: Yes, Timothée Chalamet will reprise his role as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Three. Chalamet has confirmed that this film will serve as his final performance in the franchise, noting that he treated his last days on set as “sacred” to avoid complacency.

Q: What movie did Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey do together?

A: Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey first starred together in Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi epic Interstellar. Chalamet played the younger version of Tom Cooper, the son of McConaughey’s character, Joseph Cooper.