Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Dune: Part Two and Dune Messiah!
Dune 3is on the way, and while its recent casting announcement is exciting, it also raises a major question about Denis Villeneuve’s upcomingDuneadaptation. After the successes ofDuneandDune: Part Two, Villeneuve announced that he would be returning to direct an adaptation ofDune Messiah, Frank Herbert’s 1969 second entry into the book series. Although there are moreDunebooks after this,Dune 3is set to be Villeneuve’s final entryin his trilogy, meaning that if there are any furtherDuneadaptations in this series, the director won’t be involved.
Denis Villeneuve’sDune Messiahadaptationwill pick up after the start of Paul Atreides' Holy War from the end ofDune: Part Two, with the book taking place 12 years after Paul has become the Emperor. Although Paul’s theocratic regime causes all kinds of destruction across the galaxy, his visions make him realize that this is the best outcome for humanity. However, Paul’s genocidal actionshave caused the Bene Gesserit and several other organizations to plot to overthrow him. The story follows Paul’s attempts to hold onto power as his control of the galaxy spirals out of control.
Paul Atreides & Chani’s Kids Are Only Babies In Dune Messiah, But Dune 3 Has Cast Young Adults
Both Actors Are Teenagers Already
One of the biggest developments inDune Messiahis that Paul Atreides and Chani have two kids: a son named Leto II and a daughter named Ghanima. The two children aren’t born until well into the story ofDune Messiah, with Paul’s refusal to have children with Princess Irulan being a major storyline.Dune 3has cast both of Paul and Chani’s childrenalready. Nakoa-Wolf Momoa will play Leto II, while Ida Brooke will play Ghanima.
While these are still young actors, they aren’t as young as manyDunefans were expecting.Nakoa-Wolf Momoa is sixteen years old, and while Ida Brooke’s age isn’t known, she looks to not be much younger. This is surprising due to the fact that these children are only just born in the story ofDune Messiah. They should be babies inDune 3, so casting much older actors is incredibly surprising. Although this change isn’t necessicarily a bad thing, it does set up a major departure for Denis Villeneuve’s take on theDune Messiahstory.
Is Dune 3 Also Adapting Children Of Dune?
There Is Precedent Based On Previous Adaptations
One possibile explanation is thatDune 3could be adaptingChildren of Duneas well.Children of Duneis Frank Herbert’s thirdDunenovel, with it taking place several years afterDune Messiah. Leto II and Ghanima are the main characters ofChildren of Dune, and sinceDune 3is supposed to be Villeneuve’s lastDunemovie, it makes sense for him to lift some elements from this book.Dune MessiahandChildren of Dunehave already been combined in theSci-Fi channel’s 2003 adaptationFrank Herbert’s Children of Dune, so there is some precedent for these stories being packaged together.
How Dune 3 Can Make Sense Of The Atreides Twins Being Older Without Adapting Children Of Dune
Following In The Footsteps Of Dune: Part Two
There are already several theories that offer possible explanations for why Paul and Chani’s kids are older inDune 3, outside of adaptingChildren of Dune. It could be thatDune 3ends with a leap into the future, briefly showing older versions of Leto II and Ghanima. While it would be odd to announce their casting ahead of time since this would be a small appearance, it could end up being the case.
The other major theory is that Paul could have a vision of the older versions of his kids. His prescience has done something similar before, with Paul seeing an older version of his sister Alia, played byAnya Taylor-Joy, inDune: Part Two. So, there are several ways that the ages of these actors could make sense inDune 3without the movie adapting parts of the third book.
