‘Dune: Part Three’ New Character Posters Put Chani’s Heartbreak, Alia’s Fury and a Shape-Shifting Villain Front and Center

Few movie campaigns have been as methodical as the one for the final ‘Dune‘ film. Over the past several months, Warner Bros. has released character posters, trailers, staggered ticket sales and format-specific promos, each one building on the last. Now another wave of artwork has arrived, and it focuses squarely on the faces at the heart of the story.

Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Three’ adapts Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune Messiah,’ and it is billed as the epic conclusion to his trilogy. The film opens on December 18, and it brings back Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides alongside a cast that has grown considerably. The first two films have grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office combined.

Now a fresh set of posters is circulating for Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Anya Taylor-Joy and Robert Pattinson. Each carries the tagline “The Epic Conclusion,” along with the December 18 date and IMAX branding.

New posters for Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Anya Taylor-Joy and Robert Pattinson in ‘DUNE: PART 3’. https://t.co/Hhm0WA8dL9

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 26, 2026

The two images that stand out most are intense and emotional. Zendaya’s Chani is shown in a tearful embrace, her eyes closed as she buries her face against a dark garment. It’s a quiet, grieving image that fits where the story begins, with Chani’s heart broken at the start of the Holy War.

Anya Taylor-Joy’s Alia is the opposite, a bloodied close-up of a woman screaming at something off-screen. The poster hints that this version of the character is distinctly Villeneuve’s own, since the novel has Alia in her mid-teens. Taylor-Joy has described Alia as a character with an intense blessing and curse.

The ensemble reflects how much the final chapter expands. Momoa returns as Hayt, a ghola created in the image of the deceased swordmaster Duncan Idaho, which means a character who died in the first film is back in a very different form. Taylor-Joy has a much bigger role than her brief appearance in ‘Part Two.’

Pattinson joins as Scytale, a shape-shifting antagonist, and has said he was eager to play a character that is quite unusual in the book. Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin all return, and Isaach de Bankolé joins as Farok. Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke play Paul and Chani’s twin children, Leto II and Ghanima.

The film takes place 17 years after the events of ‘Part Two,’ with Paul waging a holy war as both Emperor and Fremen messiah. The first teaser focused on the strain between Paul and Chani, opening with an exchange about names for their unborn child before the relationship breaks down. Villeneuve has called the film more action-packed and tense than its predecessors, since it follows Paul as a ruler with absolute power.

Variety described it as Villeneuve’s most personal film to date. The poster campaign reflects that tone, with close-ups that emphasize emotion over spectacle.

Presentation is a big part of the pitch. Villeneuve shot much of the film on 65mm stock, with sequences captured on 15/70mm IMAX film and desert scenes filmed in IMAX Digital by cinematographer Linus Sandgren, who stepped in for Greig Fraser. The film is reportedly set to feature 71 minutes in IMAX’s expanded aspect ratio and has a three-week global IMAX exclusivity window.

IMAX 70mm screenings begin on December 14 in the US and Canada, with UK previews on December 15. The first batch of IMAX 70mm tickets sold out in under 3 hours across 19 global locations. General tickets are now on sale for all formats.

“Forgive me for all I’ve done.” Experience the epic conclusion. Dune: Part Three only in theaters and IMAX December 18. #DuneMovie #FilmedforIMAX https://t.co/x9Nftg9yXd

— DUNE (@dunemovie) July 8, 2026

The release date puts the film head to head with ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ a matchup fans have nicknamed ‘Dunesday.’ One report claimed that ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is outselling ‘Dune: Part Three’ by up to 4-to-1 in advance sales, though few analysts expect Villeneuve’s film to outgross its rival. With IMAX largely to itself through the holidays, it has a strong chance of carving out its own audience.

The rollout also includes posters for Dolby Cinema, 4DX and IMAX, each emphasizing the scale of Arrakis. It’s a campaign designed to make the film feel like an event.

With less than two months to go, the marketing is reaching full intensity. Each new image adds to the sense that this is a film built around feeling as much as spectacle, from Chani’s grief to Alia’s rage. Fans have waited a long time for the story’s conclusion, and the posters suggest it will be a heavy one.

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