Director Denis Villeneuve gave an update on the production of Dune: Part Two, underlining how the second part of his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi novel will explore other corners of the universe, showing more of the villainous House Harkonnen. Talking to Empire about Dune: Part Two, Villeneuve also explained the creative process that led him to focus the first movie on Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet).
The first half of Villeneuve’s adaptation puts the Atreides in the spotlight. The film shows the fall of the powerful House Atreides due to envy of the Emperor and explores how the youngest member of the family, Paul, finds a new home with the native people of the planet Arrakis. While the movie is a gorgeous adaptation, many fans of the novel felt that Villeneuve didn’t explore the original lore as much as possible. According to Villeneuve, he purposely chose to use the first movie to introduce Herbert’s complex universe to a broad public. In the director’s words:
"When you adapt, you have to make bold choices in order for the things to come to life. And I think that was the best way to introduce this world to a wide audience. Now in the second one, I want to have more flexibility, and it will be possible to go a little bit deeper into some of these details.”
With more flexibility, Dune: Part Two will also explore the story from the perspective of other cultures. That means extending the screen time of the House Harkonnen, the main villain of the first movie. With more time dedicated to the Harkonnens, Dune: Part Two will be able to introduce iconic characters such as Feyd-Rautha, the heir to the family’s throne who was played by Sting in David Lynch’s Dune. As Villeneuve sees it:
“It’s like a chess game. Some new characters will be introduced in the second part and a decision I made very early on was that this first part would be more about Paul Atreides and the Bene Gesserit, and his experience of being in contact for the first time with a different culture. Second part, there will be much more Harkonnen stuff.”
Villeneuve also reiterated that Dune: Part Two is on schedule to shoot this summer, with most of the pre-production work already done. According to Villeneuve:
"We are supposed to shoot by the end of the summer. I will say it is mostly designed. The thing that helps us right now is that it’s the first time I’ve revisited a universe. So I’m working with the same crew, everybody knows what to do, we know what it will look like. The movie will be more challenging, but we know where we are stepping. And the screenplay is written. So I feel confident. Frankly, the only big unknown for me right now is the pandemic.”
Dune’s impressive cast includes Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Glossu 'Beast' Rabban, Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar. It’s expected for the sequel to bring most of the first film cast back.
Dune: Part Two’s release date is set for October 20, 2023.