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The spice must continue to flow in Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to his critically lauded 2021 sci-fi epic Dune. The highly anticipated sequel, Dune: Part Two, will hit cinemas worldwide on November 3, 2023. Like its predecessor, Dune: Part Two was directed and written by Denis Villeneuve (co-written by Jon Spaihts) and stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Dave Bautista – along with a few notable newcomers we’ll cover in just a minute.
Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. partnered once again to produce and distribute the film, allotting Villeneuve and co. a sizable $122 million production budget. Principal photography took place between July and December of 2022, primarily in Budapest, Italy, and Abu Dhabi.
Who are the new cast members?
If movie fans thought Villenueve’s first Dune adaptation boasted a star-studded cast, the sequel’s laundry list of heavy-hitting newbies is bound to blow their hair back. With fresh-faced critical darlings such as Florence Pugh and Austin Butler joining the fray alongside seasoned veterans Christopher Walken and Tim Blake Nelson, it’s safe to report Dune: Part Two suffers no shortage of world-class performers. Léa Seydoux and Souheila Yacoub round out the film’s impressive roster of new additions.
Paul’s story continues
At the heart of Dune’s mystical and intricate narrative lies Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his complex relationship with his seemingly inevitable messianic destiny. By the end of 2021’s Dune, Paul and his mother, Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), find themselves desert-bound, having just joined ranks with Paul’s quite literal dream girl Chani (Zendaya), and her fierce band of Arrakis-native warriors known as the Fremen. Paul’s first mind-bending experience with Arrakis’ most lucrative psychedelic export, the spice melange, gifted him troubling visions of an impending holy war that pits Paul and the Fremen against the treacherous House Harkonnen.
In Dune: Part Two, filmgoers can expect to see these visions materialize in epic fashion, as Paul steps into his role as leader of the resistance, attempting to avenge his father’s murder at the hands of the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). Meanwhile, the man who puppeteered the Harkonnen betrayal in the first movie, Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), and his daughter Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), enter the fold as the warring desert planet’s various factions collide.
What is “spice melange” and why does everyone seem to need it?
In Frank Herbert’s Dune Universe, spice melange (often referred to simply as “spice”) is the most essential and sought-after resource in existence. It is a psychoactive compound that grants users heightened awareness, extended lifespans, and even psychic abilities. Multiple political factions utilize spice to achieve their aims, but most notably, the Spacing Guild depends upon the substance to enable interplanetary travel. Without it, trade and travel between planets become impossible, forcing the Empire’s vast economy to a screeching halt within days.
Since the only planet in the universe that produces spice is Arrakis, it’s all but a foregone conclusion that the place would become a hotly contested breeding ground for political scheming, colonialism, and war. Paul Atreides, who already possessed latent psychic abilities, was able to greatly expand these gifts once he began to ingest spice in the deserts of Arrakis. The substance allowed him to see into the future and broaden his consciousness – the perilous path to his destiny laid before him. The Fremen, who are now Paul’s allies, have been living amongst the spice for thousands of years. Near-constant contact with the substance has given them their signature deep blue eyes.
Who is House Harkonnen?
House Harkonnen controlled Arrakis, and therefore all spice production, for 80 years before the events of the first Dune film. Standing in stark opposition to the stately and noble House Atreides, the Harkonnens are oppressive, brutal, and underhanded. Led by the gluttonous Baron Vladimir and his vicious nephew Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), the Harkonnens plotted with Emperor Shaddam IV to manipulate House Atreides into taking control of Arrakis under false pretenses, leading to a covert attack that resulted in the death of Paul’s father, Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac). House Harkonnen ruled Arrakis with an iron fist for generations, subjugating the native Fremen and hoarding the spice trade profits.
In Dune: Part Two, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) joins the Harkonnen clan to bolster his uncle’s claim to Arrakis by attempting to thwart Paul’s Fremen uprising. One unsettling fact that makes the sequel’s forthcoming conflict even more tragic is that Paul and Feyd-Rautha are actually cousins. Blood relations aside, however, it seems there will be no love lost between the two embittered combatants in Dune: Part Two.
The Cast of Dune 2
Dune presents a winding and complicated narrative, stuffed to the brim with characters, factions, and opposing interests. If you’re still hanging in there with us after all the spice talk, here’s a comprehensive character breakdown that might make things a little easier for you when November 3, 2023, rolls around:
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House Atreides:
- Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet)
- Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson)
- Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin)
- Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson)
House Harkonnen:
- Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård)
- Glossu Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista)
- Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler)
Fremen:
- Chani (Zendaya)
- Stilgar (Javier Bardem)
Bene Gesserit (religious faction):
- Reverend Mother Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling)
- Lady Margot (Léa Seydoux)
Imperial:
- Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken)
- Princess Irulan Corrino (Florence Pugh)
Will there be more Dune films?
Dune and Dune: Part Two merely span the first novel in Frank Herbert’s six-book saga. With so much story left to tell, this has led to an inevitable onslaught of questions for writer/director Denis Villeneuve about his plans for future adaptations. Thankfully, Villeneuve has been kind enough to enlighten fans with some fairly direct ideas about his aspirations for Dune’s cinematic future.
“The thing I envision [is] the adaptation of two books, Dune and Dune Messiah,” said Villeneuve to Polygon in 2021. “We decided to split the first novel in two, so now we are at three movies. Those movies are very long to make. For my mental sanity, I decided to just dream about three movies.”
Since Dune Messiah is a considerably shorter literary affair than the first book, it’s not unreasonable to assume that Villeneuve could wrap up his take on Dune without splitting the second book into two movies. But before we put the cart before the sandworm, let’s sink our teeth into Dune: Part Two.
