Dune: Part Three Builds Its Spectacle Around a 55-Ton Ship

November 3, 2026 — Production designer Patrice Vermette says the opening sequence of Dune: Part Three centers on a large-scale battle involving a spaceship weighing 55 tons. The third film in Denis Villeneuve’s series opens in theaters on December 18.

The ship was buried underground for the scene, which takes place in the rain. The production built one vessel with a fully realized interior and exterior, and used cranes to lift it every two days. A pump system cleared water from the set. Vermette described the sequence as a major spectacle.

The film draws on Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah and is set 17 years after the events of Dune: Part Two. Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides, now emperor, facing the consequences of his rule as a conspiracy takes shape. Zendaya’s Chani is at the center of that plot.

Chalamet has praised the film, saying he was satisfied with the installment and that it stands apart from the previous movies. Zendaya said the adaptation stays close to parts of the source while also diverging from it. Robert Pattinson, who plays Scytale, described the film as an emotional political and moral story, with parenting among its themes.

Vermette said Villeneuve asked him not to repeat sets, even while working within the same fictional world. Their past collaborations include Enemy, Arrival and Sicario. For Dune, Vermette and the crew developed settings including the Harkonnen planet Giedi Prime, Atreides Castle and an Imperial Nexus Laboratory on Arrakis.