Easily, one of our most anticipated upcoming 2023 movies has to be Denis Villenueve’s Dune: Part Two, a continuation of the rise and fall of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) following the events of the epic and masterful Dune. At the end of the first film, Paul survived an uprising, and had landed with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen in the middle of the desert, ready to begin intense training that one day might let him return to his home and retake his family’s kingdom. But according to the most recent trailer, there’s going to be hell to pay for such a journey, and war will be waiting. Check out the latest trailer for Dune: Part Two above.
We get glimpses of some familiar faces from Dune, notably Rebecca Ferguson’s maternal Lady Jessica, and the warrior Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), who appears to reunite with Paul in what is sure to be a deeply emotional scene. The Atreides stronghold on Arrakis was left in ruin at the end of Dune in 2021. But key members survived, and will be part of Paul’s eventual rebellion.
But a major draw of Dune: Part Two will be the wealth of newcomers added to the cast. Joining the already high-powered ensemble – with Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya in the lead – will be Elvis stand out Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV, and Florence Pugh, playing Princess Irulan… a significant new character to the narrative.
With footage from Dune: Part Two dropping, Pugh took to social media to exclaim that she is “so fecking excited you have no idea.” We actually do, Florence, because if we were in Dune: Part Two, we’d be losing our minds, as well.
We will be very curious to see how Dune: Part Two performs this year. The first movie came out in the heart of the pandemic, and while it warranted a trip to the theater to see it on the big screen, the fact that it was available to anyone with a Max subscription bit into its performance numbers. But there’s a note at the end of the Dune: Part Two trailer that makes me think this one will do very well in theaters: “Filmed for IMAX.” Warner Bros. likely is going to wisely lean into this being an event picture that has to be seen on the biggest screen possible, similar to an Oppenheimer, the latest Mission: Impossible movie, or a superhero epic.
I’m at the point where I don’t need to see any more Dune: Part Two footage. This is all that we know about the sequel. Now just bring it to theaters. Denis Villenueve is responsible for some of the best sci-fi movies of our lifetimes, and his passion for the Dune source material shines through. This movie can’t get here quick enough.
