One of the more anticipated big movies of the year won’t be with us until nearly the end of it, but Warner Bros. certainly wants to keep the idea that ‘Dune: Part Two’ is on its way.
Director Denis Villeneuve had success at both the box office and the Oscars with the first film, which means he (and co-writer Jon Spaihts) now get to explore the next stage of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi saga and keeps the focus on Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). He is, as you recall, the scion of House Atreides, whose father Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) was ordered by the Emperor of the galaxy to take over running Arrakis, the desert planet from where the various space-going people mine valuable spice to help their navigators guide vessels.
It was, of course, part of a plan between the violent, cruel Harkonnen (led by Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron) and the Emperor to destroy the Atreides.
‘Dune: Part Two’, which aims to adapt the second half of Herbert’s novel picks up the story after Paul and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) flee into the desert following the devastating attack on the Atreides base by Harkonnen and Imperial forces. Paul is destined to rise as a spiritual and military leader of the native Fremen and lead an attack against the Harkonnen and the scheming Emperor.
Related Article: Florence Pugh May Play Princess Irulan in ‘Dune: Part Two’
Who is in ‘Dune: Part Two’?
Alongside Chalamet and Ferguson, we’ll see the return of Josh Brolin (who plays Atreides war master Gurney Halleck, another survivor of the attack) and Skarsgård, along with Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, AKA “The Beast”.
On the Fremen side, we’ll get to properly meet Zendaya’s Chani, a Fremen warrior who haunted Paul’s dreams and visions long before he ever met her, and who is destined to become the great love of his life. And Javier Bardem’s Stilgar, leader of the Fremen people, who will work with Paul to attack the Harkonnen.
New this time? Florence Pugh, who plays Princess Irulan and Christopher Walken as her father, Emperor Shaddam IV.
On the Harkonnen side, there is the cunning, weapon happy Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, played by ‘Elvis’ Austin Butler. From the looks of the character, Villeneuve and his team are aiming to have this Feyd be as distinctive as the metal-jockstrap version played by Sting in David Lynch’s movie.
And the trailer also goes big on an iconic moment from the story –– Paul proving himself by riding one of the native sandworms that roam the dunes, consuming anything that makes a sound on the sand. Stilgar warns him to “keep it simple”, which is probably good advice to anyone who is daring to launch projectiles into, and ride on top of, a massive, armored creature.
‘Dune’ was a tremendous creative triumph, and from the looks of this, Villeneuve and his collaborators have kept that going, and can promise even more action in the second movie.
‘Dune: Part Two’ will venture into theaters on November 3rd.
Other Movies Similar to 'Dune: Part Two:'
- ‘Star Wars' (1977)
- 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' (1979)
- 'Conan the Barbarian' (1982)
- 'Dune' (1984)
- 'John Carter' (2012)
- 'Jodorowsky's Dune' (2013)
- 'The Legend of Tarzan' (2016)
- 'Dune' (2021)