Riding fan expectations like the back of a giant sandworm, the trailer of Denis Villeneuve’s hotly anticipated Dune: Part Two was released on Wednesday night. The almost two-and-a-half minute offers a stirring glimpse into the world of the sequel and its characters. That said, it also sustains anticipation rather well, teasing just the tip of the action-packed iceberg (in a desert) and nothing more.
Adapted from Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel, Dune: Part Two catches up with Paul (Timothée Chalamet) after the violent erasure of house Atreides in the first film. His father, Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) was ambushed and murdered in an intergalactic conspiracy. Paul, now nestled in the care of the indigenous Fremen on planet Arrakis along with his mother Jessica, is contemplating revenge. He has Chani (Zendaya) by his side, positively taken in by the unexplored pleasures of swimming. He’s also primed to ride his first sandworm, with the all-too-crucial caveat of not trying anything ‘fancy’. Try saying that to Denis Villeneuve.
The trailer interweaves Paul’s messianic rise on Arrakis with a range of conflicts and conspiracies underfoot in the Known Universe. It’s here that we are introduced to new and intriguing characters like Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler), who stands to inherit Arrakis from his uncle the baron Harkonnen. His contender, of course, is Paul. “May thy blade chip, and shatter,” Paul tells him ahead of single combat.
A visual surprise of Dune: Part Two is the black-and-white portions seemingly pertaining to Feyd-Rautha’s backstory. Meanwhile, Léa Seydoux joins the cast as Lady Margot, an influential member of the clandestine Bene Gesserit sisterhood.
Towards the end of the trailer, we see Paul emerging God-like over the crest of a hill and whipping a mass into battle.
The official synopsis of Dune: Part Two reads: “This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.”
The film will release in theatres on November 3, 2023.
