Linus Sandgren Boards Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Messiah’
There’s been a bombshell behind the scenes of Dune: Messiah. Linus Sandgren replaces Greig Fraser as DP.
Oscar winner Linus Sandgren is set to replace Greig Fraser for the fourth instalment in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Messiah.
When faced with a choice between Matt Reeves and Denis Villeneuve, it seems that cinematographer Greig Fraser has chosen the former, at least according to a new report. Industry insider Jeff Sneider alleges that Greig Fraser (The Batman, The Creator, Dune: Part Two), has given a verdict in regard to which upcoming sequel he will be tackling next.
Due to The Batman Part II reportedly beginning production in May 2025, and Dune: Messiah in September 2025, Fraser would not be able to return to shoot both films as result of an overlap. He’s chosen the first one, leaving Dune: Messiah without a DP. That is until a fellow Academy Award winner boarded the project.
That’s right, with Linus Sandgren now boarding the project according to Sneider. Sandgren is best known for his collaborations with Damien Chazelle, David O. Russell and Gus Van Sant. He’s worked on several acclaimed motion pictures including the likes of La La Land, Babylon, First Man, Don’t Look Up, No Time To Die, and Saltburn.
Dune: Messiah will be the third film in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune canon, and the fourth project overall, following the release of the HBO miniseries Dune: Prophecy. The film will pick up after the events of Dune: Part Two, which saw Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides overthrow the Harkonnens (led by Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron and Austin Butler’s Feyd Rautha) and the corrupt Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV (Christopher Walken).
Expected to return in the sequel are Chalamet as Paul, Anya Taylor-Joy as Paul’s younger sister Alia Atreides, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and Zendaya as the Fremen warrior Chani, Javier Bardem as Stilgard, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam, and possibly Jason Momoa returning as Duncan Idaho. The film is currently slated for a December 18, 2026, release.
Up next for Sandgren is Noah Baumbach’s next film, Jay Kelly. That film is an emotional coming-of-age story about adults, and stars George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Greta Gerwig, Laura Dern, Jim Broadbent, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, and Isla Fisher.
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