DUNE PART TWO: FIRST LOOK

Vanity fair offers an exclusive first look at the continuation of the Dune saga.

Vanity Fair has dropped an exclusive first look at Director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part Two.

In the article, the director explains the film is not a sequel in the traditional sense, but a continuation of the themes and story in Part 1. The stunning sci-fi adaptation (the third from Frank Herbert’s original novel) stunned audiences when it was released in 2021. Villeneuve also gives key insights into the new and returning characters of Part Two to accompany 12 incredible images from the film, set to be released in November 2023.

Paul Atreides ( Timothée Chalamet) saw ‘desert power’ in the original film’s climax, with the Fremen riding the giant spice worms. Villeneuve explains: “It’s a rite of passage. It’s the way you become an adult in the Fremen world. That is a very important part of their culture and they respect the worms as half-gods, so they have a religious relationship with the worm.”

Chalamet offers a look at Paul and Chani’s relationship: “The universe of Dune is a complex world of geopolitics and with tons of ecological and technological metaphors that hold up today. But at the center, there’s this relationship where Chani sort of becomes a moral compass.”

Villenueve also feels this is central to the film: “I kept saying to my crew, ‘The most important thing is that spark, that relationship between both of these characters.’ If we don’t capture that, if we don’t have that onscreen, there’s no movie. The epicenter of the story is this relationship.”

Florence Pugh makes her Dune debut as Princess Irulan, the daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), the supreme ruler of the galaxy. But Villeneuve has loftier, real-world ideas for Pugh: “When I met Florence, I was struck by her assurance, how grounded she is as a young woman, how direct, how unapologetic. She has something inherently royal about her. I will definitely believe that Florence could become, in the future, a prime minister.”

But Zendaya and Pugh aren’t the only powerful, mysterious women appearing in Part Two. There’s also Léa Seydoux’s Lady Margot. Villeneuve offered this on her character: “Margot Fenring is a Bene Gesserit sister, but will be a secret agent in the movie. It was very playful to work with Léa. It’s a character full of surprises.” 

Returning is Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (played once more by Rebecca Ferguson). Villeneuve teases: “Those tattoos are linked with the prophecy. We see that there’s a darkness, a very specific darkness in her eyes. Lady Jessica is one of the masterminds of Dune. She’s trying to play her own agenda. The meaning of that look would be unveiled in Part Two.”

Also returning for Part Two is Josh Brolin’s now battle-weary Gurney Halleck. Villenueve: “Gurney Halleck survived and has come back to avenge his friends. For people who know Dune, there will be a massive battle at the end of Part Two.”

Another hardened combatant making a return is Fremen leader Stilgar,  played by Javier Bardem. Villenuve suggests that there’s more than meets the eye with Stilgar: “Javier Bardem brought something very colorful and a lot of life to a character that could have been also just very severe. That charisma explodes in Part Two.

Baron Harkkonen (played by Stellan Skarsgård) has survived his poisoning in Part One. Villeneuve says: “I always saw the Baron as some kind of hippopotamus that, because of his weight, is more comfortable in liquid. He feels more relaxed in those baths, and as we see him in that picture, he’s smoking spice.”

The Harkkonens remain a present and deadly enemy with the presence of two more characters, the first of which is Glossu Rabban (played by Dave Bautista). Villeneuve seems to have a soft spot for Bautista’s character, returning from Part One: “He wants to please the baron. He wants to shine in front of his uncle, but there’s something touching about Rabban because he’s a bad strategist. He’s not very intelligent.”

This brings us to the end and a character everyone is dying to see: The less corpulent Harkonnen assassin Feyd-Rautha, played by Austin Butler. “He’s someone Machiavellian, much more cruel, much more strategic, and is more narcissistic,” Villeneuve says.

Read the full article from Vanity Fair right here. Dune Part Two will be released in November 2023.