Get ready to go back to Arrakis! Dune fans rejoice – because the sequel is already in the works.
Dune was initially released in October 2021 and was not only a hit with the fans, but with the critics as well. The Oscar-nominated film starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya was a box office smash, earning more than $400 million worldwide. The immediate success of the film led to the confirmation of the sequel shortly after.
Denis Villeneuve will return to direct the second film. In March 2022, he revealed that the screenplay was “mostly” finished.
“But it’s always a work in progress,” Villeneuve said in an interview with Collider at the time. “It’ll be a work in progress until final cut, but I will say it’s solidified. I have a script in my hands. We are in prep right now. My crew, we are in full prep for the movie.”
Dune, based on Frank Herbert’s lengthy science fiction novel of the same name, was always intended to be split into two movies, according to Villeneuve. Chalamet, stars as the film’s hero, Paul Atreides, while Zendaya plays Chani, his future love interest. The cast is rounded out by Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgard, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Stephen McKinley Henderson.
Zendaya’s role in the first part of the franchise was minimal and left viewers wanting more. Luckily, the wishes of the Dune fandom appear to be coming true!
“For Zendaya, I will say Part One was a promise. I know that we saw a glimpse of her in Part One, but in Part Two, she’ll have a prominent part,” Villeneuve told Variety in a March 2022 interview. “We will follow Timothée and Zendaya on their adventures in the desert. That’s the thing that excited me most about going back to Arrakis is to spend time with those characters again.”
Zendaya also hinted about her story line development with Deadline in November 2021. “Anybody who has read the books knows there’s so much more to explore and deal with,” she said at the time.
In the same interview, Chalamet expressed his excitement to get back on set. “We were ready to do it back then [when we wrapped Part One]. This story is far from finished,” he teased.
Although most are set to return, Isaac won’t be one of them following his character’s death. However, two new characters will be introduced – Princess Irulan and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen played by Florence Pugh and Austin Butler respectively.
While Dune: Part One had a same-day theater and HBO Max release, Part 2 will have an exclusive theater release. However, it’s yet to be confirmed when it will arrive on streaming platforms.
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