After spending several years on Arrakis, director Denis Villeneuve said he wanted to go somewhere else for his next project. And while we don’t know “where” that is, we do know “when.” Warner Bros. just set a December 18, 2026 release date for Villenuve’s next movie, which is described as an “event film.” It better be too, because, as it stands now, the other movie set to release on that date is a new Star Wars film.
What is clear however is Warner Bros. isn’t messing around with whatever the title is. As of now, the untitled Star Wars film (presumably the Rey movie) is the only film to have a release date in December 2026. The whole rest of the month is empty. If it is Dune Messiah, why would the studio pick that specific date to go up against Star Wars? It could pick literally any other date. But no, it specifically picked December 18 which could mean it’s counter-programming to Star Wars—like some kind of big Oscar-bait thing—or the studio doesn’t believe Star Wars will happen. There’s no way it would release Dune Messiah the same day as a Star Wars movie, right?
Either way, if anyone could release a film to compete with Star Wars, it’s Denis Villeneuve. And Dune would be just the thing too.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
