Rebecca Ferguson‘s career is shaping up to be quite interesting following her numerous sci-fi roles. From Life to Silo and, recently, Mercy, the actress is one of the biggest names in the modern sci-fi scene. Ferguson is also known for her role as Lady Jessica in Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune franchise, a role she’s played for two movies and is expected to reprise in the third. Dune: Part Three hits theaters this December, but don’t expect it to be heavy on Lady Jessica. Ferguson revealed in Josh Horowitz‘s Happy Sad Confused podcast that her role in the film is quite limited. The actress explained:
“The script is great, I’ve read it. I think it’s going to be fantastic, but my journey was number one and two. I don’t even think [Lady Jessica] was supposed to be in three, and then Denis was like, ‘I need to have one scene.’ And I get one scene.”
The movie’s trailer and promotional key art are out, offering a brief preview of the character, but that scene is her only one. This is not an unexpected development, given that Lady Jessica is also not prominent in the source material that the film is adapted from. Dune: Part Three is primarily based on Frank Herbert‘s 1969 novel “Dune Messiah,” which significantly reduces the role of Lady Jessica. “[It] was a weird feeling, walking onto a set that you know so well and knowing that you don’t have a part of it,” she admitted. “There’s a lot of FOMO, and the acceptance of this is just what it is.”
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What Is ‘Dune: Part Three’ About?
Events in the film take place 17 years after Dune: Part Two. Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) is now on the throne, and he has reunited with his lover Chani (Zendaya). The newest trailer reveals that the couple is expecting a child, raising the stakes for Paul beyond a complex political conflict. Soon enough, war breaks out, and Paul must protect his family. Paul might be a grown man now, but he will always need his mother’s counsel, which is where Lady Jessica comes in to help him figure out a path forward. Dune: Part Three concludes Villeneuve’s storytelling epic by bringing back Chalamet, Zendaya, Ferguson, Jason Momoa (Duncan Idaho), Josh Brolin (Gurney), Javier Bardem (Stilgar), and Anya Taylor-Joy (Alia). New cast members include Robert Pattinson, Nokoa-Wolf Momoa, and Ida Brooke.
Dune: Part Three is in theaters on December 18. Stay with Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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December 18, 2026
- Director
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Denis Villeneuve
- Writers
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Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Frank Herbert