Warner Bros. is changing the awards lane for Zendaya on Dune: Part Three. Variety reported that she will campaign for best actress as Chani, after being positioned in supporting for the first two films.
The category jump
The switch follows a much-expanded role in the final chapter. Dune: Part Three is set nearly two decades after Paul Atreides seizes control of the Imperium, and Chani sits at the centre of the conspiracy that pulls the emperor back into conflict. Warner Bros. and Zendaya’s representatives declined to comment.
Why lead matters
Lead actress is a harder and more expensive race than supporting. A studio does not move a star up a category unless it believes the screen time and narrative weight are undeniable, and unless it is ready to spend accordingly. For awards marketers, category placement is the first public signal of how a film wants to be read.
The move also avoids the recurring category-fraud debates that follow co-leads campaigned as supporting. It puts Zendaya directly beside the season’s strongest female performances, rather than below them.
A shelf full of TV awards, no Oscar yet
Zendaya already has two Emmys for Euphoria and a 2023 Golden Globe for the same role. An Oscar nomination this year would be her first, making Dune: Part Three the obvious vehicle for her first serious film push.
The slate behind the decision
Her 2026 calendar gives voters plenty of reasons to notice her, and creates a real vote-splitting question for her team:
- The Drama: lead campaign as literary editor Emma Harwood.
- The Odyssey: supporting campaign as Athena.
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day: returned as MJ in one of the year’s biggest hits.
For distributors and platform marketers, the timing matters too. A Dec. 18 release lands in the heart of awards voting, so the lead campaign will have a compressed window to build visibility. For Warner Bros., the bet is clear: the emotional centre of the Dune finale is Chani. The film releases in theaters and Imax on Dec. 18.
Source: Variety
