The latest “Dune: Part 3” trailer arrived back on July 8, and it was a sumptuous banquet of startling set pieces, intergalactic political unrest, close-quarter combat, and a whole lot of sand and ash. A fine follow-up to the initial March teaser, to be sure.
After letting it marinate in our minds for a while, let’s break down five items of particular interest in this newest preview of the Denis Villeneuve-directed conclusion to his trilogy of far-future sci-fi epics adapted from author Frank Herbert’s novels, “Dune” and “Dune: Messiah.”
Set 17 years after Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) has ascended to the Emperor’s throne, “Dune: Part 3” explores the corrupting side of political power as his holy war against the Imperium’s Great Houses advances towards a destructive destiny.
Right out of the gate, Chani (Zendaya) is certainly not shy about displaying her displeasure with his ultimate betrayal, which was first fleshed out at the end of 2024’s Dune: Part 2. It’s also pretty cool to see Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) back as a cloned “ghola” and Paul’s powerful sister, Alia, portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy.
So behold, our five takeaways from this brand new look at Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part 3”.
1. The chilling gaze of Scytale
We already knew that a platinum-haired Robert Pattinson plays Scytale, one of the film’s main villains.
Some might have scoffed at the concept of Pattinson as an intimidating foe, but from these extra snippets in the new trailer, his shapeshifting Tleilaxu Face Dancer seems up to the task of carrying out a careful plan to remove the ruthless Paul Atreides from the throne.
Pattinson has the acting chops to pull off an intimidated foe, so he might just steal the show. And come on, folks, Pattinson was The Dark Knight!! Have a little faith.
2. Alia’s bloody scream
Alia Atreides, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, is Paul’s sister. The Bene Gesserit Revered Mother Mohiam called her an “abomination” due to the Water of Life that Lady Jessica drank while she was in the womb.
A blood-covered Alia is perhaps unleashing her god-like power on a captive Mohiam in response to a conversation we’re not privy to here, which could be not exactly a scream of peril, but a stern command.
She’s definitely not someone to cross thanks to her otherworldly paranormal skills.
3. Where did Paul’s eyes go?
Towards the end of the 3-minute trailer, we catch a shot of Paul in the aftermath of a nasty Stone Burner radiation bomb detonated by conspirators in the Arrakis capital, Arrakeen, as Paul and his personal Fedaykin guard accompany him outside the palace.
We can see his eyes are severely damaged after the intense detonation flash strikes him square in the face, causing blindness and eventual exile into the deep desert per the Fremen way.
This will open up his prescient sight abilities in new and extraordinary ways as we’ll soon see for ourselves in this third “Dune” installment.
4. Attack of the Clone
Jason Momoa’s master swordsman Duncan Idaho returns here with more sneak peek screen time.
He’s shown resplendent in his crisp white uniform, heavily criticizing Paul for the thousands of worlds he’s destroyed during the terror campaign inflicted by his brutal Jihad.
But, as fans of the books will know, this is not technically the same person as his former mentor. He has been resurrected as a Ghola clone named Hayt as a ‘gift’ from the Bene Tleilaxu, and unbeknownst to Paul, he plans to assassinate the crazed ruler who is deemed beyond redemption.
5. Flight of the Navigator
One of the major grumbles coming from fans, myself included, is the lack of the Spacing Guild and its bizarre Guild Navigators in Villeneuve’s “Dune” films, but all that’s seemingly about to change.
In this trailer, we see a hovering coffin tank that no doubt contains one of the mutated human creatures warped by the spice Melange, enabling them to fold space. This former Spacing Guild member is named Edric and is a pivotal player in the plot to overthrow Paul and House Atreides.
Also seen is Edric’s sinister pod sliding silently into one of the gigantic Guild Heighliner starships.
Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part 3” lands on Dec. 18, 2026.