Rebecca Ferguson’s Dune: Part Three role is a surprising change from the books, but it could set up the franchise’s best ending yet. It should be clear from Denis Villeneuve’s previous two installments in the Dune franchise that the filmmaker isn’t afraid of diverting from the source material. Frank Herbert’s novels are vast and prolific, but Villeneuve knows how to make great films, and he’s captured the spirit of the books regardless of his accuracy. One of the most recently announced changes is the return of Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), who isn’t in the next novel.
Dune: Part Three is set to adapt Dune Messiah, Frank Herbert’s second book in the series, and Jessica is notably absent from the text. Following Paul Atreides’ takeover of Arrakis in Dune, there’s a significant time jump, and Jessica returns to the Atreides home planet of Caladan, purposefully attempting to distance herself from the harrowing deification of her son. Given that she isn’t actually in the book, but is only mentioned, we can only theorize regarding what role she’ll play in Villeneuve’s adaptation.
Warning: This includes SPOILERS for Dune Messiah that will likely be adapted in Dune: Part Three!
Jessica Should Only Arrive at the End of ‘Dune: Part Three’
First, it’s worth considering the closest narrative threads Jessica has to Dune Messiah, which can serve as a foundation for theorizing. While Jessica doesn’t appear in Dune Messiah, she does play a prominent role in Children of Dune, the follow-up novel, where Jessica returns to Arrakis to take care of her grandchildren, following Paul’s death. She ends up playing a prominent role in that book, but as of now, Villeneuve has no plans to adapt it after Messiah.
In the expanded lore from Brian Herbert’s novels, it’s also explained that Jessica and Gurney Halleck return to Caladan together and begin a romantic relationship. It’s possible Denis Villeneuve would just give audiences a brief glance at their life, as Josh Brolin is also set to appear in the movie, but that doesn’t seem like it would have much narrative impact, so I’m leaning toward the likelihood that the film’s ending will tee up Children of Dune by bringing her back to Arrakis.
Given that Denis Villeneuve only plans to adapt the series through Messiah, it makes sense that he’d want to bring Jessica back into the story before his departure from the franchise, rather than leave a dangling narrative thread after the powerful part she played in Dune and Dune: Part Two. Bringing her in too early, however, would drastically alter a delicate political narrative woven with Dune Messiah’s specific cast of characters in mind: Paul, Alia, Irulan, Chani, etc.
Denis Villeneuve made significant changes to the Jessica character, making her a devout supporter of Paul Atreides, beckoning him to use his prophetic status to defeat the Harkonnens. With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine her motive for absence in Dune Messiah would be the same as in the books; it’s more likely she’d return to Caladan for Paul’s benefit, and would subsequently come back to Arrakis after hearing the news of his death. Rather than her return being about Alia and the grandchildren, Villeneuve has the opportunity to use his change and make this about Paul.
Jessica’s Appearance Adds Emotional Weight to ‘Dune: Part Three’
Rebecca Ferguson has been a force in the Dune movies as a fierce mother willing to do anything, even weaponize her son as a messianic figure to protect their family and defeat her father, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. In a way, her story in the films mirrors Paul’s, as her strength and desire to protect ultimately make her terrifying. Those changes raise immediate questions about how she might react to her son’s death, given that, unlike the book version, she was entirely complicit in his ascendance.
Frank Herbert wrote Dune Messiah in response to Dune, using it as a way to undermine the achievements of Paul Atreides and truly hone in on the dangers of prophecy and charismatic leadership. Taking what we know about Jessica into consideration, it’s likely that her arrival in Dune: Part Three will be one of anger and despair, capping off Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation trilogy on a rather powerful note of grief and regret. Even more so than the terrifying ending of Dune: Part Two, this would make for an incredible, evocative lesson on mingling with the dangers of power and godhood that’s befitting of Herbert’s themes.
If Denis Villeneuve is adapting Dune, without the intention of fulfilling Frank Herbert’s complete series but instead creating a “Paul Atreides trilogy” of sorts, it’s hard to imagine a better ending to it all than Rebecca Ferguson, absent for the majority of the film, arriving as Jessica mourns the loss of her son. This would not only cap off Villeneuve’s run on a poignant note, but it could also plant the seeds for more films after, developed by different filmmakers.
- Release Date
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December 18, 2026
- Producers
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Mary Parent
- Franchise(s)
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Dune