Spice-addicts have cause to celebrate as Dune 2 is confirmed, as Legendary Pictures broke the news that Dune Part Two is actually happening. And some splendid new cast members have been added. But if you've seen Denis Villeneuve's Dune — and spoiler alert, we will dig into that movie's ending — it was clear that Dune Part Two was coming.
The desire to make Dune Part Two had been there for a while. Villeneuve, at a screening attended by Tom's Guide staff, revealed that his intent is not just to make Dune 2, but to follow that with Dune Messiah. The films would essentially be a trilogy.
Dune 2 release date
Dune Part Two is scheduled for October 20, 2023, according to Deadline (opens in new tab).
Villeneuve is already hard at work on the script. In an August 2021 interview with Total Film (opens in new tab), the director said "I’m writing [Part Two] now, and I feel like I’m 8 years old again ... That’s very uncommon for me. It’s the first time I’ve experienced it where I’m watching one of my movies, and I have a moment of deep gratitude, of deep joy, and I say, 'Thank you, life, for having allowed me to bring that to the screen.'"
Dune Part Two was confirmed on Twitter by Legendary Pictures' official account (opens in new tab) on October 26. It tweeted the above image, with the caption "This is only the beginning... Thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead. We're excited to continue the journey!"
Dune 2 cast and crew
Four new Dune 2 cast members have just been added, per a Deadline (opens in new tab) report. Léa Seydoux will play Lady Margot — the Bene Gesserit wife of Count Hasimir Fenring. Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Austin Butler are all also joining up.
In the tweet announcing Dune Part Two, Legendary tagged the below cast members in the photo (you need to open the tweet, click "Dune and 7 others", almost confirming their return (which was already pretty predictable).
The only issue is that the tweet tagged two actors (David Dastmalchian as Piter De Vries and Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet-Kynes) whose characters died in the first movie. Their characters could return in flashbacks in Dune Part Two, but it's unsure.
Legendary also tagged Hans Zimmer, so we can expect his booming score to return as well.
There are two big casting decisions looming for Dune Part Two: Feyd-Rautha, Paul's antagonist (Sting played him in David Lynch's Dune) and Alia, Paul's baby sister.
Again, though, beware spoilers below, as the events of the rest of Dune and Dune Messiah come into play.
- Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides
- Zendaya as Chani
- Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban, nephew of Baron Harkonnen
- Javier Bardem as Stilgar, a leader of a Fremen tribe
Also expect Rebecca Ferguson to return as Paul's Bene Gesserit mother Lady Jessica. Stellan Skarsgård is also likely to return as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. We wouldn't expect the deceased Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) to return, though flashbacks are always possible.
Jason Momoa could very well return as Duncan Idaho, as that character does get brought back as a clone. Also, Josh Brolin is likely coming back as Gurney Halleck, as he wasn't actually killed in the Harkonnens' raid on the Atreides castle on Arrakis. Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson) is also likely to return.
More characters from other Dune films may wind up being cast in due time.
Dune 2 plot and story, and Dune ending explained
To talk about Dune Part Two, we must first look at what happened at the end of Dune. Paul and Jessica, on the run from the Harkonnens finally meet the Fremen, so Paul can finally meet Chani, who he has seen in his visions. They are led by Stilgar, who accepts the two. Fremen tribesman Jamis disagrees with the call, and duels Paul to the death — which Jamis loses.
This moment cannot go overlooked, as the voice in Paul's visions of his fight with Jamis said "Paul Atreides must die, for Kwisatz Haderach to rise... When you take a life, you take your own." While Paul may have been involved with the deaths of the men on the plane when he used The Voice to free his mother from the gag, Jamis was the first person that young Paul had killed in one-on-one combat, marking a loss of Paul's own humanity.
What comes next is the question of how Paul will respond to the Fremens' devotion to him as a messianic figure. His visions of him and Chani suggest that he sees a future as their leader in their wars, but the Paul in the present doesn't seem ready for, or interested in such a path.
Meanwhile on Arrakis, House Harkonnen has things back under control. The Baron hands over command of the planet to his nephew Rabban, but will he be able to make enough money on the spice trade to make up for their contracts for the Sardaukar to fight their war for them.
Paul will eventually meet his new younger sister Alia and a new rival Feyd-Rautha, but we'll save their details for another time.
