Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction film is revealed in a new trailer, pending its release on November 1, 2023.
1 time of war
Whether Dune: part one (2021) took its time to introduce the planet of Arrakis and the different houses of its universe, its sequel will be much more action-oriented. Some time after the attack on House Atreides by the Harkonnens, Paul (Timothée Chalamet) is now trying to be accepted by the Fremen people. The young heir will then have to build an army in his quest for revenge, and accept his role as “Messiah”. Several scenes of battles on the desert planet are thus revealed, as well as images of Paul Atreides taming a gigantic sandworm. The revolt of the fremen had already been announced by the first film, through numerous visions of the hero.
2 Familiar faces and newcomers
While the trailer unveils footage of the relationship between Paul and Chani (Zendaya), a young Fremen woman, fans will also appreciate the return of some actors. We will thus find Rebecca Ferguson in Lady Jessica, Javier Bardem in Stilgar, David Bautista in Rabban, and especially Josh Brolin in Gurney Halleck. The fate of House Atreides’ lieutenant had been left unresolved in Dune: part onenarrowly escaping the attack of the Harkonnens.
Fans of Frank Herbert’s original novel will also recognize new cult characters from the book, absent from the first film. Let us cite for example the legend Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, Léa Seydoux interpreting his daughter Margot, Florence Pugh and Austin Butler. The interpreter of Elvis Presley at Baz Luhrmann will be Feyd-Rautha, cruel and charismatic heir to the Harkonnen house. The role was held by singer Sting, in David Lynch’s first adaptation.
3 An ambitious achievement
Almost 40 years after the critical and commercial failure of Dunes (1984) by David Lynch, Denis Villeneuve brings the desert lands of Arrakis back to life. The director of First contact (2016) continues to film the planet at war, with the same characteristic colors of the first film. Aesthetic changes are also shown in this new trailer, most notably in an arena scene with Austin Butler. As with the first film, the music is still by Hans Zimmer, described by Denis Villeneuve as ” Ancient “ And ” organic “.
The future of the saga Dunes in cinema is still uncertain. Denis Villeneuve has never hidden his ambition to direct a third film, this time adapted from Dune Messiah (1969), second of six novels written by Frank Herbert. Warner also announced the release in 2019 of Dune: The Sisterhoodseries taking as subject the Bene Gesseri community, and taking place 10,000 years before the events of Dunes. Following the departure of director Johan Renck, the project officially went on hiatus last February.