Jason Momoa’s Bold Makeover: Shaves Signature Beard Ahead of Dune: Messiah

After six years of growing and maintaining his iconic beard, Jason Momoa has officially shaved it off, much to his own dismay. The reason? Preparations are underway for Dune: Messiah, the third installment in Denis Villeneuve’s epic sci-fi franchise, where Momoa will reprise his role as Duncan Idaho.

The Hollywood star documented the shaving process on Instagram, saying in the video, “Just for you, Denis,” referring to Villeneuve. Momoa hasn’t shaved since preparing for the first Dune film, which marked his introduction as the loyal Atreides swordmaster. As the razor buzzed through his facial hair, he grimaced and admitted, “I hate this.”

Though his flowing hair remains untouched for now, fans have long associated Momoa with both his mane and beard, trademarks of roles ranging from Game of Thrones’ Khal Drogo to Aquaman.

In addition to promoting his return to Dune, Momoa used the moment to raise awareness for environmental causes, urging fans to reduce their use of single-use plastics: “Let’s stop using single-use plastics. For our kids. For our planet.”

Momoa’s return to the Dune universe is also a family affair. His 16-year-old son, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, will join the cast as Leto II, the son of Paul Atreides.

“It’s his first job, and it’s going to be great,” the proud father told Extra earlier this month. “He did it all on his own, I didn’t want to help him. You want your kids to be better than you, and I truly believe he is. I couldn’t have handled working with Denis at his age. At 19, I was on Baywatch. He’s 16, and holding his own with Villeneuve.”

Dune: Messiah is slated for release in December 2026. Returning cast members include Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and a star-studded ensemble continuing the saga of politics, prophecy, and power on Arrakis.