The First Look At Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides In Dune 3 Is Super Unsettling, But There's A Good Reason For It

After adapting Frank Herbert’s lauded sci-fi novel Dune across two movies, director Denis Villeneuve is returning to deliver a film adaptation of the follow-up Dune Messiah to the 2026 movies schedule. Naturally, that means Timothée Chalamet will be back as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part III, amidst other familiar faces. Chalamet has now dropped the first look at his character in this upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, and while it’s super unsettling, there’s a good reason Paul looks the way he does.

The actor took to his Instagram Stories page to reveal Paul Atreides looking worse for wear compared to where we left off with him at the end of Dune: Part II. See for yourself:

Well, Paul hasn’t exactly been keeping a good skincare routine, has he? To be fair, that Arrakis sun is murder, and since Dune Messiah takes place 12 years after Dune, obviously the character would look a little more aged. However, there’s more to Paul’s changed look in Dune: Part III beyond those factors, though that will require me to share some minor spoilers for Dune Messiah, so you’ve been warned!

Though the two Dune movies chronicled Paul Atreides journey to become the savior of Arrakis’ Fremen, readers of the original Dune books know that he doesn’t stay a hero (though this was teased in Dune: Part II’s ending). Without getting into specifics, it’s revealed in Dune Messiah that Paul has been ruling with an iron fist and killing millions across the universe to prevent a future he’s seen that’s even worse than what’s happening in the present day. Additionally, Paul’s eyes are destroyed during an assassination attempt, and he’s only able to “see” afterwards by focusing his prescience on his current reality.

So take all that into account, and it’s no wonder why Paul Atreides is looking so sinister in the official still Timothée Chalamet, and that’s all conveyed in the eyes. I won’t talk about any more Dune Messiah plot details, so those of you who haven’t read the book will just have to wait and see where Dune: Part III takes the character. Actually, scratch that, I can also say that he and Zendaya’s Chani have two children, as Nakoa-Wolf Momoa (yes, Jason Momoa’s son) and Ida Brooke have respectively cast as Leto II and Ghanima.

Dune: Part III’s other returning cast members include Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides, and Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck. Robert Pattinson also boarded the movie as the antagonist Scytale. Catch Dune: Part III in theaters on December 18, the same day that Avengers: Doomsday is coming out, and stream the first two movies, as well as the TV show Dune: Prophecy, with an HBO Max subscription.