Zendaya will reportedly campaign in the Best Actress category for Dune: Part Three, a step up from the supporting slot she held for the first two films. Multiple sources told Variety that she’ll seek lead actress consideration for Chani in Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy finale. The publication says the decision reflects Chani’s expanded role in the story.
That bigger role fits what the footage has suggested. The film is set nearly two decades after Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) seized control of the Imperium. IGN‘s Jesse Schedeen wrote that Chani looks very different from her counterpart in Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah: she has “rejected Paul and everything he stands for” and chosen to live as a free Fremen.
The campaign faces a steep climb. IGN notes that no actor from either earlier Dune film has landed an Oscar or Golden Globe nomination, although both films were nominated in technical categories. An Oscar nomination this year would be Zendaya’s first. IGN also reports that awards forecaster Gold Derby doesn’t currently list her in either actress category for any of her films. It has Anne Hathaway and Samantha Morton, her The Odyssey co-stars, as the leading supporting actress contenders. Gold Derby does see her as a Golden Globe hopeful for The Drama and for the final season of Euphoria, and as a SAG nominee for Euphoria.
The timing helps her visibility, if nothing else. IGN says she’s had a stellar year, with praise for The Drama, and calls Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey, both starring her, the two highest-grossing films of 2026. We covered that run in our look at Tom Holland and Zendaya’s box office year. Hollywood.com reports that her The Drama performance is also set to compete in the lead actress category. IGN adds that the Academy recently changed its rules for next year’s ceremony, including allowing multiple nominations for the same actor in the same category.
When you can see it
Warner Bros. releases Dune: Part Three in theatres and Imax on 18 December. VOX Cinemas lists a UAE release date of 17 December 2026, a day earlier. The Abu Dhabi connection runs deeper than the release date: The National reports that more than 1,000 people worked on the film’s UAE schedule.
IGN says the 99th Academy Awards air live on ABC and Hulu on Sunday, 14 March 2027, at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). Conan O’Brien hosts for the third year running.
Is Zendaya officially a Best Actress nominee for Dune: Part Three?
No. Variety reports she’ll campaign for Best Actress consideration, which is a category choice, not a nomination. Nominations come from the Academy ahead of the March 2027 ceremony.
Has Zendaya ever been nominated for an Oscar?
No. Variety says an Oscar nomination this year would be her first. IGN notes that none of the Dune actors have earned an Oscar or Golden Globe nomination for the first two films.
When does Dune: Part Three open in the UAE?
VOX Cinemas lists 17 December 2026 for UAE cinemas, with English audio and Arabic subtitles. The US release follows on 18 December.
