Zendaya’s ‘Dune: Part Three’ Oscar Bid Shifts to Best Actress

By Tom Whitfield

Warner Bros. will release “Dune: Part Three” in theaters and IMAX on Dec. 18. Variety reports that Zendaya will campaign for Best Actress recognition as Chani, shifting from the supporting actress category used for the first two films.

Multiple sources told Variety about the decision for the role of Chani in “Dune: Part Three,” the final chapter of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic. Warner Bros. and Zendaya’s representatives declined to comment. The parties directly involved have not confirmed the plan.

Variety’s framing is direct: “Zendaya is ‘Dune’s’ leading lady.” The move reportedly reflects Chani’s expanded role. Variety’s synopsis places Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as a ruthless emperor nearly two decades after he seized control of the Imperium.

Old allies return, new threats emerge and betrayal lurks in the shadows, Variety reports. Haunted by visions of imperial collapse and the reappearance of his long-lost love, Paul enters a sweeping conspiracy, with Chani “at the heart of its unfolding mystery.”

The synopsis also frames the stakes around rebellion, power and loss. As enemies close in, Paul must confront the true cost of power and the fate of those he loves most.

Variety’s cast list also includes:

• Jason Momoa
• Florence Pugh
• Rebecca Ferguson
• Anya Taylor-Joy
• Robert Pattinson
• Javier Bardem
• Josh Brolin
• Charlotte Rampling
• Isaach de Bankolé

What does the category switch change for Zendaya?

It changes the award she is pursuing: lead actress instead of supporting actress. Chani’s expanded narrative role gives the campaign its rationale. That remains a strategic claim, not a nomination, and the report supplies no evidence of Academy support.

The wider awards slate is broader. Variety describes “Dune: Part Three” as capping a year of multiple roles for Zendaya. The 30-year-old multi-hyphenate could find herself in contention across multiple films and categories this season, Variety says.

• Zendaya kicked off 2026 with Kristoffer Borgli’s romantic dark comedy “The Drama,” playing Emma Harwood, a literary editor who reveals shocking secrets. Opposite Robert Pattinson, she will also submit the performance in the lead category, Variety reports.
• She followed with Athena in Christopher Nolan’s billion-dollar mythological adaptation “The Odyssey.” Variety says she will vie for supporting actress recognition alongside Anne Hathaway, Samantha Morton and Charlize Theron.
• She also reprised MJ in Destin Daniel Cretton’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” another billion-dollar hit that Variety describes as now ranking among the highest-grossing films of all time.

These projects broaden her awards case, but Variety gives no indication how a lead campaign for Chani affects the separate submissions for Emma Harwood and Athena. Chani is the role in the third film; the other two performances carry different categories.

Zendaya has won two Emmy Awards for Rue in the HBO Max drama “Euphoria.” Variety reports that she became the youngest two-time winner in the lead drama actress category. She won a Golden Globe for the same role in 2023.

In 2025, she earned two Golden Globe nominations for Luca Guadagnino’s tennis romance “Challengers”: one for lead actress in a comedy and another as a producer, with the film nominated for best picture (musical or comedy).

An Oscar nomination this year would be her first, Variety says. The campaign changes the stakes, not her record: she has won at television and Golden Globe level, but has yet to receive an Academy nomination.

The Dec. 18 release will test whether Chani carries enough of the film to sustain a lead-actress campaign, but a category switch cannot settle the Academy’s judgment.