Denis Villeneuve Sets Next Movie For December 2026 At Warner Bros. and Legendary
There’s a lot of speculation and expectation surrounding the next project by Denis Villeneuve, following his biggest film yet, and one of the biggest of the year, in Dune: Part Two. According to multiple reports, the director was juggling between multiple options, but it seems like he’s made his decision now, as Warner Bros. and Legendary have set a December 18, 2026, release date for his next movie.
There’s no word yet on what the project is, but the fact that it is set up at Legendary should be a pretty good indicator. Villeneuve was also prepping a nuclear war film for them, but there was no indication that Warner Bros. would be distributing it. In fact, Legendary now has an overall deal with Sony, not WB, like it used to. This does not apply to two properties, though: WB still has the rights over future Dune and MonsterVerse movies.
On top of that, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Borys Kit is hearing that Denis Villeneuve, who had previously hinted he’s like to move away from Arrakis before doing Dune: Messiah, may have had a change of heart. And this makes sense, of course. A threequel has been in the planning stages for over a year, first being mentioned in press reports on the trailers for Dune: Part Two, and is clearly set up at the end of the second film. Villeneuve was reluctant at first to confirm he’d be going back immediately, but it was always meant to be. His mind is set up in that world now, and the massive success of the sequel must have given him a boost of confidence to go nuts with the third film. Plus, the cast is now at the height of their star power, so why not strike while the iron is hot?
We’ll probably learn more as the year progresses. It’s interesting to note, too, that this film is supposed to be released on the same day as Disney has planned a Star Wars movie. How long before someone blinks? At this point, it’s unlikely that Disney will have another film in 2026 besides The Mandalorian & Grogu, but it should also be mentioned that both of Villeneuve’s Dune films have moved for one reason or another, including the time the first one strategically moved away from December 2021 into November. Dune: Messiah might not feel like a holiday movie, after all.
And going back to the MonsterVerse topic, Legendary and WB have also dated the next film in the Godzilla v Kong franchise, which Grant Sputore will be directing after Adam Wingard stepped down, for March 26, 2027. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will be released on Max this July.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
