Your Guide To Dune Part 2
Jul 20, 2023
DUNE PART TWO opens March 15, 2024
It has been nearly two years since the release of Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE. The movie, which introduced Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides as he and his family are thrust into war and a state of survival on the dangerous desert planet of Arrakis, was just the beginning of the saga, and the second chapter is well on its way.
While we wait for Warner Bros. Pictures’ long-awaited continuation of the story to arrive on the big screen, there are a handful of things that we need to go over about the upcoming movie. From its story to its remarkably stacked cast and as well as a look at its most recent trailer, here is your guide to DUNE: PART TWO.
Things went from bad to worse for Paul Atreides in the second half of DUNE, with much of his family and friends either being killed or captured by the evil and power-hungry House Harkonnen. However, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) were accepted into the Freman tribe following a fight to the death with a native warrior on Arrakis.
When DUNE: PART TWO lands in theatres this fall, it will see the young Atreides set out to get revenge against the Harkonnen and the powers that allowed them to start a war with the noble family in the process. But much like its predecessor, the movie will also dive into Paul’s journey of self-discovery as he attempts to make sense of his visions and prophecies of being the next messiah.
Like with the first movie, Timothée Chalamet will anchor the DUNE: PART TWO cast as Duke Paul Atreides. The actor won’t be the only returning member of House Atreides to show up in the upcoming sequel, as his mother, Lady Jessica, will once again play a major role in the story as will Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), his longtime mentor and his father’s former weapons master.
The movie will also further flesh out House Harkonnen, as in addition to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler) will also make his debut in the sequel.
And at long last, fans of Herbert’s novel will get to see how Villenenuve and company handle the impact of Shaddam IV (Chrisopher Walken), the Emperor of the Known Universe and ruler of House Corrino. Florence Pugh, will also make her franchise debut with her portrayal of the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Irulan.
Zendaya’s Chani, a young Freman warrior who appeared in several of Paul’s visions before he met her in real life near the end of DUNE, will have a more expanded role in the story’s second chapter. If the movie is anything like the book on which it is based, Chani will be a major force in the upcoming sequel, as she stands with the young Atreides to protect her tribe from all threats. Javier Bardem will also return to reprise the role of Stilgar, the leader of the Freman tribe.
Charlotte Rampling and Stephen McKinley Henderson will return as Gaius Helen Mohiam and Thufir Hawat, respectively. As far as new additions are concerned, Léa Seydoux will appear as the Emperor’s close friend, Lady Margot, Souheila Yacoub will portray the Freman warrior Shishakli, and Tim Blake Nelson has been added in an undisclosed role.
Two years after he received a Best Director Golden Globe® nomination, but strangely not an Oscar® nod for his work on DUNE, Denis Villeneuve is back in the director’s chair for the upcoming sequel, which he also co-wrote with collaborator Jon Spaihts.
When DUNE: PART TWO is released this fall, it will be the latest addition to Villneuve’s impressive filmography, one that includes modern classics like ARRIVAL, PRISONERS, SICARIO, and BLADE RUNNER 2049, among several others.
Though DUNE: PART TWO will include the second half of Frank Herbert’s novel, this might not mark the end of the cinematic franchise, as Denis Villeneuve will reportedly adapt “Dune Messiah” into a third film, per Collider. The novel, which is the second of six installments in Herbert’s “Dune” series, takes place more than a decade after Paul Atreides has become Emperor and sees a world in which the “Maud’Dib” has full control over the known galaxy, for better or worse.
Though neither Warner Bros. or Villeneuve have confirmed that a third movie is in the works, the director expressed his desire to make a trilogy during a September 2021 interview with Den of Geek:
“I always thought there would be two movies for the first book. And I always thought ‘Dune Messiah’ would be a powerful film. I always saw a trilogy.”
But we may not know for sure for some time, as DUNE: PART TWO wasn’t greenlit until following the simultaneous theatrical and streaming release of its predecessor in late 2021.
On May 3rd, exactly six months before the film’s release date, Warner Bros. Pictures gave the world its first look at DUNE: PART TWO in the form of a nearly two-and-a-half minute trailer showing where things stand with Paul Atreides and the other returning characters before introducing several of the new faces who will populate the galaxy. But that was merely a taste of what’s to come, as a slightly longer trailer came out a couple of months later with a caption reading “Do what must be done.”
Though several new characters played by the likes of Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and Christopher Walken make appearances in the trailer, the main focus falls on the leader of House Atreides as sets out to form an army to take on those who took everything from him and his family. With epic action, engaging drama, and some incredibly visually impressive sequences.
With images like those seen in the various trailers so far, it’s easy to see that the best way to watch DUNE: PART TWO is by checking it out on the biggest screen possible when the movie opens in AMC Theatres locations nationwide in March of 2024.
DUNE PART TWO opens March 15, 2024
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