Dune: Part Three Trailer Unveils IMAX Screening With Villeneuve and Chalamet

Warner Bros. kicked off the day with a first look at the new trailer for Dune: Part Three, rolling it out through an international IMAX simulcast event that also featured a live Q&A. The session took place from a Los Angeles location and brought director Denis Villeneuve together with star Timothée Chalamet for the audience in attendance.

Trailer drop and live Q&A at IMAX

Alongside the trailer debut, fans at the event were shown an extended chunk from the film. That material was described as essentially the same sequence that previously appeared at CinemaCon back in April, but it’s now presented in full IMAX format.

Villeneuve specifically pointed out during his introduction that the sequence was shot in IMAX 70mm. The event also served as a direct comparison point for attendees who had seen the earlier cut elsewhere—presenting the footage on a bigger, more immersive screen made it hit harder, with the added punch of IMAX framing and scale.

What the new scene shows

In his remarks, Villeneuve framed the moment as one that highlights the fallout of Paul’s decisions from Dune: Part Two. He positioned it as both intense and visually bold, describing the tone as something that feels like a high-stakes World War II-style conflict—focused on a small target inside a much larger operation.

• The sequence follows one ship singled out from a fleet of drop ships packed with soldiers heading down toward a planet’s surface.
• To reach the ground, the group has to push through a massive storm, complete with enormous lightning strikes.
• One of those bolts hits another ship, triggering a blast that takes it out.

Inside the drop ship at the center of the action, the soldiers include a recognizable presence: Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem. One of the troops reacts with visible disbelief about being sent to a world where water falls from the sky. The overall vibe onboard stays tense as soldiers exchange nervous small talk and cling to personal keepsakes, until a commander steps in with a pep talk to steady the group.

• On the surface, the men emerge into heavy rain, only for a weapon to suddenly rise from the ground.
• The gun opens fire with extremely aggressive, gatling-style power, visually resembling red laser-like beams.
• After the initial barrage, the weapon retracts back into the earth.
• Then a full tower of armaments erupts from the ground, bristling with additional guns that bombard the soldiers.
• During the assault, many of the attackers are killed, and several of the ships are destroyed shortly after they’ve just landed.

Even while trying to scramble for cover behind one of their own ships, one soldier can’t help but stare upward in awe at the continuing rain and chaos overhead. Stilgar’s men attempt to force their way through the tower’s defenses using one of their own powerful weapons, but the shots fail—only to be deflected right back. That failure escalates the danger, as even more relentless fire rains down on them.

• At the end of the sequence, one soldier panics and runs, only to be killed while fleeing.

From there, the footage shifts into a montage format—essentially a shorter version of the newly unveiled trailer, stitched together with a few alternate moments mixed in.

Dune: Part 3 Official Images

Villeneuve also noted that this battle moment—he called it “a glimpse of this scene”—will appear ahead of upcoming screenings of The Odyssey in IMAX theaters starting next week. That timing lines up with the opening of The Odyssey, which also stars Zendaya.

Villeneuve and Chalamet on wrapping the story

Beyond the scene itself, the event leaned into what Dune: Part Three represents for the larger saga. While there are plenty of other directions the universe could go, both Villeneuve and Chalamet talked about this installment as a true ending to the story.

Villeneuve explained that he chose to accelerate his original plan to wait a few more years before making the third film. He said the images he had in his head about what Part Three could become helped drive that decision, alongside a strong desire to bring the narrative to a conclusion.

Chalamet, meanwhile, described feeling emotional during production—saying it felt like a real journey was reaching its final chapter while filming the last scenes of the movie.

Release date

Dune: Part Three is set to release on December 18.