Dune: Part Two dropped a new trailer and it looks epic. It also gives us some important insight into the Dune universe beyond the sands of Arrakis.
While Dune: Part One notably starts away from Arrakis, the desert planet integral to the Empire’s prosperity thanks to the existence of the spice needed for interstellar travel, most of the film is centered around the struggle for the desert planet. The first trailer for Dune: Part Two also largely kept to this smaller, global view, sticking to the conflict on Arrakis and its impact on those already on Arrakis.
However, the second trailer did start to expand more beyond the reaches of Arrakis's spice-laden dunes. We notably got an appearance of Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), the Padishah Emperor who ultimately created the conflict on Arrakis between House Atreides and House Harkonnen. He seems to confront Paul directly at one point in the trailer, potentially on Arrakis itself.
This new third trailer continues to shed the smaller global perspective of conflict on Arrakis and continues to shed light on the war's ramifications and machinations of the larger Dune universe.
Yes, we see plenty of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), Chani (Zendaya), sandworms and Arrakis. But we also get another appearance of Emperor Shaddam IV, who grows more concerned with the "prophet" Paul is becoming viewed as and the danger it represents. We also see more of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler), described as a “psychotic” assassin tipped to be the next ruler of House Harkonnen and likely Paul’s main adversary in this next installment of the Dune franchise. Florence Pugh also makes a brief appearance as Princess Irulan, receiving a warning from the Bene Gesserit of the potential of Paul's "ultimate power" and the impact it could have on the universe.
So while destiny may be arriving on Arrakis, as the trailer indicates, it’s clear that this trailer is meant to highlight to us that this conflict and its ramifications will soon expand beyond the dunes of Arrakis. This is about to become a universal conflict of epic proportions.
Dune: Part Two: Release date, cast and what to expect
Dune: Part Two hype is officially ramping up as we approach the film’s March 1, 2024 release date. This date has been pushed back before, but with the writers’ and actors' guild strikes settled and a new trailer arriving, I’m expecting this date to be effectively set in stone.
Picking up from where we abruptly left off in Dune: Part One, Dune: Part Two continues to tell the story of Duke Paul Atreides, the exiled ruler of House Atreides on Arrakis. Paul has incredible powers that he’s only just starting to control, including the abilities of the mystical Bene Gesserit order. He’s also quickly rising in prominence in the Fremen society that is native to Arrakis, who view Paul as a prophet with messianic qualities.
Aside from Timothée Chalamet as Duke Paul Atreides, here’s who else you can expect in Dune: Part Two:
- Zendaya as Chani, a young Fremen warrior and Paul's love interest.
- Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the youngest nephew of Baron Harkonnen and the heir apparent of House Harkonnen.
- Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Emperor Shaddam IV’s daughter trained by the Bene Gesserit.
- Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Paul's mother and a member of the Bene Gesserit order.
- Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the ruler of House Harkonnen who engineered the destruction of House Atreides.
- Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, the former weapons master of House Atreides and one of Paul's mentors.
- Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban, another nephew of Baron Harkonnen who is initially tasked with ruling Arrakis.
- Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV, the Padishah Emperor of House Corrino and ruler of the known universe in the Dune series.
- Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat, a Mentat who has been forced to serve House Harkonnen but secretly remains loyal to House Atreides.
- Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, a member of the Bene Gesserit who is an advisor to Emperor Shaddam IV.
- Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam, a Reverend Mother in the Bene Gesserit order and the Emperor's personal Truthsayer.
- Javier Bardem as Stilgar, leader of the Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr that Paul is embedded with
- Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli, a Fremen warrior new to the story in Dune: Part Two.
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