Those who have read Frank Herbert’s Dune: Messiah have already known that the third film in director Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy adaptation would be quite different from its predecessors. The story jumps ahead in time, and instead of being a revolutionary epic, it unfolds as a political thriller – with sinister forces working to undermine the power of Emperor Paul Atreides as the Fremen jihad continues to spread across the universe. What we have not known, of course, is exactly what that would mean for the big screen vision, but this morning we have been delivered a staggering impression via the first look that is the debut trailer for Dune: Part Three.
We are still about nine months away from the highly anticipated upcoming sci-fi blockbuster arriving in theaters, but it seems that the arrival of Project Hail Mary on large format screens this coming Friday was deemed too enticing an opportunity for an early preview to pass up. I won’t say it’s not effective being watched on one’s computer, but every part of the Dune experience, including the marketing, is best seen on the biggest screen possible – and I say that with a personal stamp of approval, having attended an IMAX preview of this new trailer yesterday afternoon.
The footage doesn’t reveal much in terms of story, but we see a bunch of familiar and new faces – and even the familiar faces look considerably different given that 17 years have passed since we last saw the majority of them.
Depicting the aftermath of Paul Atreides’ (Timothée Chalamet) ascendency, his launch of a cosmic war, and his agreement to marry Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) – all depicted in the end of Dune: Part Two – Dune: Part Three sees the ruler surrounded by political and personal conflict. The Fremen jihad continues and he abstains from impregnating his wife out of his commitment to and love for Chani (Zendaya).The greatest threat of all, however, comes from an antagonist conspiracy seeking to undermine his rule that sees him “gifted” with a ghola: an artificial human named Hayt (Jason Momoa) bred to resemble Paul’s mentor and friend Duncan Idaho.
The trailer features a number of returning stars, including the aforementioned Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Anya-Taylor Joy, and Jason Momoa, but it also gives us our first look at some new characters, most notably Robert Pattinson as the antagonist Face Dancer Scytale. As you probably noticed, the actor is sporting a very different look in this movie than past performances, as he has not only a short crew cut, but his hair is bleach blond.
It feels like it was just yesterday that Denis Villeneuve was first blowing our minds with his brilliant and beautiful depiction of Arrakis in 2021’s Dune, but we are now just a few months away from seeing the conclusion of the trilogy that he has personally been envisioning for decades. With the movie still in post-production following the conclusion of filming at the end of last year, this trailer is only a tease of what we can expect, and I will join all fans in savoring every peek we get in the runup to the release date. Be sure to mark your calendars: audiences around the world will be able to see Dune: Part Three on December 18, and it is expected to be one of the most special cinematic events of the year.
