New 'Dune: Part 3' Images With Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya Are Revealed

Empire released a previously unseen photo (see below) from Dune: Part 3 showing Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani and Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides. In an interview with the publication, Chalamet stated that the third film in the saga will be different from the previous two. "It's a beast of its own. It's its own story, its own siege, its own rain of paranoid isolation," the actor declared.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film takes place 17 years after the events of Dune: Part Two and follows Paul as he grapples with the consequences of his rise to power as emperor. According to the filmmaker, the characters return to a completely transformed world, with changes in their perspectives and how they perceive reality. “Paul is living with the burden of what he created, trying to find a way out of this spiral of violence ,” Villeneuve explained to Empire.

Everything you need to know about Dune: Part 3

After adapting the massive book Dune by Frank Herbert, director Denis Villeneuve is now adapting the second book in the saga, Dune Messiah, into Dune: Part Three. Set years after Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) victory over the Harkonnens, the film will show the character now as Emperor of the galaxy, facing assassination attempts and dealing with the blood he spilled to get there. To make matters worse, his beloved Chani (Zendaya) goes through a high-risk pregnancy.

Also joining the film's cast are Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides, Paul's sister, Robert Pattinson as the hermaphrodite assassin Scytale, and returning from Dune: Part Two, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan and Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica. Jason Momoa, who played Duncan Idaho in the first Dune, returns in a mysterious role.

Dune: Part 3 opens in theaters on December 18, the same day as Avengers: Doomsday.