Timothée Chalamet says Dune: Part 3 is a "big swing" for his "last time" in the franchise

Timothée Chalamet has given Dune fans some intriguing hints at what they can expect from the upcoming third film, while confirming that it will indeed be his last in the franchise.

Dune: Part Three adapts the second book in Frank Herbert's legendary series of novels, subtitled Messiah, which picks up with Paul Atreides (Chalamet) more than a decade since we last saw him.

The novel is known for highlighting the darkest aspects of the character, who seizes the Emperor's throne at a catastrophic cost to the known universe – and now faces a conspiracy from inside his own house.

Speaking at a Variety-hosted event this weekend, Chalamet compared Paul's ascendance at the end of Dune: Part Two to the stories of earlier cult-like villains such as The Dark Knight's Joker (Heath Ledger) and Apocalypse Now's Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando).

"Let me rephrase that... I cannot put myself in that same boat [acting-wise]," he said. "Let's just say, it's these big movies where you could sneak in something. A curveball."

Chalamet elaborated that Dune: Part Three is his most experimental turn as Paul to date, helped in part by his growing confidence inhabiting the film's outlandish sci-fi world.

"I felt kind of thrown by the futurism [on 2021's Dune]," said Chalamet. "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 s**t you see on screen is from freedom of movement and freedom of choice. And with Denis [Villeneuve, director], we really had a good rhythm. It's the eeriest one. It's a big swing."

The actor confirmed that Paul would be back in the pilot's seat of an 'ornithopter' in Dune: Part Three – the franchise's bug-resembling aircrafts – but added that he put more time and effort into those scenes this time around.

"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," explained Chalamet. "I wanted to know what each button did, and invent a dynamic for myself with it."

He recalled: "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.

"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."

The comments confirm (as some fans had suspected) that Chalamet will be bowing out of the Dune franchise after Part Three, which reflects the direction of Herbert's books after Messiah.

His third novel, Children of Dune, is set nine years later and Paul has a much-diminished role in the plot. That said, he does feature sparingly, so Chalamet's comments imply that he could be recast with an older actor should that book be adapted.

That's certainly a possibility too! Director Villeneuve has previously stated that Dune: Part Three is the final entry that he plans to direct personally, but that the franchise could continue without him.

"I think that it would be a good idea for me to make sure that, in [Part Three], there are the seeds in the project if someone wants to do something else afterwards, because they are beautiful books," he told Variety, back in late 2024.

"They become more and more esoteric. It's a bit more tricky to adapt, but I'm not closing the door. I will not [direct more Dune films] myself, but it could happen with someone else."

Chalamet is currently on the awards trail with acclaimed sports drama Marty Supreme. In Dune: Part Three, he'll be joined by returning cast members Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Florence Pugh, plus franchise addition Robert Pattinson.

Dune: Part Three is coming to cinemas in December 2026.

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