First Look at Florence Pugh in ‘Dune: Part Three’ Reveals Irulan’s Dark New Style
Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy has always treated its imperial court as a place of whispered leverage rather than open spectacle, which makes the costuming choices worth reading closely. Princess Irulan spent much of the previous film as an observer, narrating events she had limited power to shape. The ‘Dune: Part Three’ Irulan look suggests that has changed considerably.
Florence Pugh joined the franchise in ‘Dune: Part Two’ as the daughter of Christopher Walken’s Emperor Shaddam IV, a role Villeneuve repeatedly promised would expand. He said during that film’s press tour that a third movie would deepen the parts played by Pugh, Léa Seydoux and Anya Taylor-Joy, all of whom had limited screen time.
Empire has now provided an exclusive new image that hints at how. The photo shows Pugh in a dark hooded outfit with a veiled figure beside her, standing in a pale, columned hall that suggests the quiet scheming at the heart of the imperial court.
The styling is a deliberate departure. Rather than the ceremonial regalia of a princess, Irulan appears wrapped in layers of dark fabric, matching the film’s more tense and closed-in atmosphere.
Empire’s December issue promises an interview with Pugh about Empress Irulan’s political machinations, language that implies a far more active character than audiences saw previously. In Frank Herbert’s source material, Irulan becomes Imperial Consort but is Paul’s wife in name only, a position that breeds exactly the kind of scheming the image suggests.
New look at Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan in ‘DUNE: PART THREE’. (Via: @empiremagazine) https://t.co/F27V1rPOld
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 22, 2026
This isn’t the first time her appearance has sparked discussion. Earlier promotional materials showed Pugh’s Irulan covered in what looked like clay, a choice that divided even book readers.
Pugh addressed it herself on Instagram, telling followers to check out why Irulan has a clay mask in the film. The most popular theory connects it to Robert Pattinson’s Scytale, a shape-shifting Face Dancer who serves as the film’s primary villain, with the mask potentially preventing her appearance from being copied.
Elsewhere in the footage, she appears closer to her previous look, albeit with shaved hair. The film is set nearly 2 decades after Paul seized control of the Imperium, with Villeneuve describing it as more action-packed and tense than his other work because it focuses on Paul navigating absolute power.
The new trailer for ‘DUNE: PART 3’ has been released. In theaters on December 18. https://t.co/T1eilXnA1N
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 8, 2026
The returning ensemble is substantial. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya lead alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa as the resurrected Hayt, and Anya Taylor-Joy as a now-adult Alia.
Taylor-Joy’s expanded presence has fuelled speculation. Her appearance as a grown religious figure is a development that doesn’t occur until ‘Children of Dune’, suggesting the film may fold in elements beyond ‘Dune Messiah’.
The release is set for December 18, 2026, with international rollout beginning December 16 and Australia a day earlier. It opens directly opposite ‘Avengers: Doomsday’. Early indicators suggest the film is holding its own.
Reports have indicated it broke London IMAX presale records, overtaking ‘The Odyssey’, and a new teaser arrived 2 months ahead of release, giving Zendaya’s Chani more prominence than previous trailers. Villeneuve has described this as his final ‘Dune’ film, having envisioned the trilogy as early as 2021. With a reported runtime around 165 minutes, the conclusion is built on scale.
What do you think of Florence Pugh’s new look as Princess Irulan in Dune: Part Three?
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