Fans are counting down the days until the release of Dune 2 (officially named Dune: Part Two) — but according to new reports, they might be counting for a longer time than expected.
But let's rewind: During CinemaCon 2023 in Las Vegas in late April, director Denis Villeneuve took the stage alongside the saga's stars, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, to share more intel about the highly anticipated sequel and share the official trailer, which was made available to the public on May 3.
Villeneuve teased that the first film installment was just an “appetizer,” and that Dune 2 will be "the main course," per IndieWire. As noted by THR, Villeneuve said Dune 2 will be an "action-packed, epic, war movie," while the first film was “more of a contemplative movie.”
In the first rollercoaster-like trailer for the film, we saw exactly the action that Villeneuve was teasing — and he wasn't just hyping it up. Now, we have not one but two more trailers to build our excitement on, and it's safe to say we need to buckle up.
The third official trailer for Dune 2 was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 12. The new trailer puts the spotlight on the relationship between Paul Atreides and Chani, played by Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, respectively, and also gives us a better look at bald Austin Butler as the “psychotic” Feyd-Rautha. (If you can forget that tongue scene, you deserve an award.)
Based on Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction novel of the same name, Dune follows the story of Paul Atreides, played by the one and only Timothée Chalamet. The House of Atreides has been appointed as stewards of Arrakis, a quasi-deserted planet that's become the only source for the coveted melange, or "spice." The first movie premiered on October 22, 2021, amassing $402 million at the box office and earning a total of six awards at the 2022 Oscars.
The second part of the film was confirmed by Villeneuve himself back on October 26, 2021, and will center around the second half of Herbert's book. "In the first movie, Paul is a student… We really see Paul become a leader [in Dune 2]," Timothée Chalamet said of his character at CinemaCon.
If you are more than ready to dive deeper into the world of Dune, here are some of the most interesting things we know so far about Dune 2.
1. The SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have pushed the release of Dune 2 to 2024.
If you are a Dune fan, there's a question you've probably been asking yourself since the first film came out: "When will Dune 2 premiere?" Well, that's still an extremely good question years later, as Dune 2 has changed release dates not once or twice but a whopping four times.
Dune 2 was originally supposed to premiere on October 20, 2023, until it was postponed to November 17, 2023. The date was then moved up to November 3, 2023, but it has now been pushed back another year, as Dune 2 is one of the many titles with release dates that have been affected by the actors and writers strikes that shook up Hollywood.
As of right now, the release of Dune 2 has been delayed until March 1, 2024, to ensure the star-studded cast can fully promote the film — so mark your calendars accordingly.
2. Austin Butler will play the film's bald, “psychotic,” “narcissistic” villain.
Austin Butler has been tapped to play Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen — the nephew of Baron Harkonnen, played by Stellan Skarsgård — in Dune 2. (Fun fact: Sting played the character in David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of the book.)
According to Variety, Butler wears "chalky makeup" to play the role. In one of the first looks at the “remorseless” and “narcissistic” character (as pictured above), we see his eerie, pointy-eared silhouette. After watching the trailers, we can confirm: Butler is definitely bald. And eyebrow-less.
Butler is also seen in the trailers in the throes of a Crysknife fight with Chalamet's character Paul — at CinemaCon, Villeneuve described Butler's Feyd-Rautha as a mix of "an Olympic sword master" and "a psychotic serial killer." The director also added that he was "very proud of what [Butler] brought to the movie." According to Deadline, the character “is a favorite among fans of the Frank Herbert novel and is expected to play a big role in Part Two.”
3. Timothée Chalamet will ride a giant sandworm.
Timothée Chalamet finally gets to ride one of the film's biggest, almost mythological, creatures: a sandworm. We get to see Javier Bardem's Stilgar warn Chalamet's Paul to avoid trying to “impress” anyone. “You're brave, we all know that. Be simple, be direct,” says Bardem in the trailer. “Nothing fancy.” Cut to: Chalamet riding a giant sandworm.
At the end of the first film, we saw Chalamet's character escape from the Harkonnens, who had retaken control of Arrakis, and the Sardaukar troops. After a mortal battle with Jamis, Paul joins the Fremen, the native inhabitants of Arrakis. He's from then on referred to as Muad'Dib, a messianic figure to the Fremen. As seen in the first look images from Vanity Fair, Chalamet has bright, icy blue eyes as he joins the Fremen and absorbs Arrakis' “spice.”
As Muad'Dib, Paul now has unlocked the power to ride the massive sandworms that populate Arrakis. (If you remember correctly, Dr. Liet Kynes, played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster, actually died in the first film after being — willingly — devoured by one of said sandworms in an effort to help Paul and his mother Lady Jessica escape so they could get to the Fremen.)
In Herbert's book, the art of riding a sandworm is referred to as “wormriding,” and it is only generally done by Fremen as it's a perilous adventure. In order to do so, one has to pour sand into a sandworm's scale that has been previously pried open with a maker hook. If you succeed, you are known as a Sandrider. When Chalamet's Paul finally meets Chani towards the end of the first film, he witnesses wormriding for the first time and refers to it as "desert power."
4. Zendaya plays a much bigger role in the sequel.
Zendaya famously only appeared in the first Dune film for a grand total of seven minutes despite being key in the promotions for the film, but rest assured because that will change in Dune 2 with Chalamet's character fully becoming part of the Fremen.
The Fremen, and thus Zendaya's character Chani, will play a major role in Dune 2, so expect to see her in more than just Paul's visions this time around. (For those who have read the novel, you'll already know that Zendaya's Chani is arguably the most important character to the plot.) "She's not just in dreams this time," Zendaya said about Chani at CinemaCon. “I only got a small time to learn who she was [in the first film], and now I feel like she's a part of myself.”
5. Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet will kiss.
Part of why Zendaya will have more screen time – aside from, you know, the whole leading the resistance while war erupts in Arrakis thing – is because of her character's burgeoning relationship with Paul. The trailer also includes a scene where Chani and Paul kiss, and the actors confirmed the two characters' romance will also take center stage during the movie.
"These are still just two young people who are trying to grow up and fall in love and live," Zendaya said at CinemaCon. “Developing this love story where there's so much pain and stress and turmoil, and trying to find the balance of these two young people trying to grow up while there's so much pressure on top of that, being a warrior for your people… it was really, really special.”
6. Florence Pugh and even more new characters will make their debut in Dune 2.
Aside from Austin Butler, other top names in the industry will also join Dune 2. Florence Pugh is officially going to be reuniting with Chalamet on screen as Princess Irulan Corrino, the main narrator in Herbert's Dune. As seen in the trailer, Florence Pugh's Princess Irulan dons a sleek blonde bob that flips at the ends. She is the eldest daughter of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, which will be played by Christopher Walken.
Léa Seydoux will also join the cast as Margot Fenring (a.k.a. Lady Margot), a member of the witchy Bene Gesserit. Per Variety, she will be a "vital ally" to Chalamet's character. Swiss actress Souheila Yacoub will play Shishakli, a member of the Fremen who's also a Sandrider, while Tim Blake Nelson will also join the cast playing an undisclosed character. Of course, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and Javier Bardem will all reprise their roles in the sequel.
