Duncan Idaho? Why Jason Momoa Is Back in That Epic 'Dune 3' Trailer

the "Dune trilogy," there are likely readers in your life who will tell you that there's a lot more to Dune than the story of the first two books. But, if you don't have a Dune fan handy right now, you might be wondering how in the hell Jason Momoa is back in this movie? Didn't his character, swordsman Duncan Idaho, die in Dune: Part One in 2021?

Here's why Jason Momoa is back for Dune 3 and why this character might be his biggest movie badass yet.

Dune: Part 3 Trailer, Explained

The trailer for Dune: Part Three focuses on a few things: the holy war that Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) began at the end of Part Two, the impending birth of Paul and Chani's (Zendaya) children, the rise of Paul's warrior sister Alia (Anya Taylor-Joy), and the return of Duncan Idaho.

In the first Dune novel, Duncan is killed by the Sardaukar during the invasion of Arrakis. Because the films Dune: Part One (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) only adapt events of the first Dune novel, Duncan stays dead in the film version of Dune 2. However, the second Dune book ever—Dune Messiah—is what Dune: Part Three is based upon, and in that book, Duncan comes back from the dead. Kind of.

Dune Messiah (1969) is the book that retroactively introduces the concept of gholas, which are pseudo-clones in the Dune universe. The reborn Duncan is a ghola, and he's initially called "Hayt" in the book. As the book unfolds, he ends up regaining the memories of the first Duncan. That said, the Hayt/Duncan is way more introspective and mysterious than the original version, making this Momoa character much different than what you might have expected.

Dune: Part Three Release Date

Dune 3 hits theaters on December 18, 2026. Right now, that puts it head-to-head with Avengers: Doomsday.