Zendaya Mounting Major Best Actress Oscar Campaign for Dune 3

Zendaya will officially campaign in Best Actress for her turn as Chani in Dune: Part Three, Denis Villeneuve's final chapter of the saga. For the first two films, she was placed in supporting, and the assumption heading into this season was that Warner Bros. would repeat this. This sudden shift signals the third and final part of the franchise will put Zendaya's Chani as a parallel lead to Timothee Chalamet's Paul Atreides.

Zendaya's Oscar Odds

The third and final Dune movie draws from Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah. None of the actors in either of the past two Dune movies have landed either an Oscar or a Golden Globe nomination for those films. Both movies did garner deserving nominations in technical categories. Zendaya is also expected to be campaigning this year for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, although even just within that movie, where she’s vying against Anne Hathaway and a scene-stealing Samantha Morton, the odds are heavily stacked against her. Julianne Moore's widely acclaimed performance in The Debut is already hailed to be an award season frontrunner in the Best Actress race.

Dune 3 Plot Details

The official synopsis for the upcoming Dune movie states, “Dune: Part Three is set nearly two decades after Paul Atreides seized control of the Imperium. Now a ruthless emperor, Paul must face the consequences of his reign as old allies return, terrifying new threats emerge, and betrayal lurks in every shadow. Haunted by visions of Imperial collapse and the reappearance of his long-lost love, Paul is drawn into a sweeping conspiracy, with Chani at the heart of its unfolding mystery. As enemies close in, Paul must confront the true cost of power and the fate of those he loves the most.”

The 30-year-old star boasts a staggering track record. Her resume features major box-office triumphs like The Odyssey ($1.7B) and the even higher-grossing Spider-Man: Brand New Day, alongside the unexpected hit The Drama and the upcoming Dune: Part Three—priming her for a potential trio of billion-dollar blockbusters. On top of her commercial success, her mantelpiece already contains two Emmys for Euphoria and a Golden Globe, plus two additional Globe nominations for Challengers.

Dune 3 also stars Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Charlotte Rampling and Isaach de Bankolé.

Warner Bros. releases Dune: Part Three in theaters and IMAX on December 18. It is clashing with MCU's Avengers Doomsday.