Denis Villeneuve deciding to adapt Dune across two movies rather than one was a tricky proposition, as there was no guarantee he’d get to chronicle the second half of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel if the first half wasn’t a hit. Fortunately, Dune was positively received by both critics and general audiences alike in 2021, and a few weeks later, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced that Dune: Part Two was moving forward. Cut to earlier this week, following the premiere of the next Dune movie’s first trailer, Zendaya was particularly amused by a fan response involving her and Timothée Chalamet, and it’s delightful.
Although Paul Atreides saw visions of of Chani during the first Dune, it wasn’t until the end of the movie that Chalamet and Zendaya’s characters finally met, with Paul and his mother, Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica, coming across Chani’s Fremen tribe, led by Javier Bardem’s Stilgar. Dune: Part Two will see Paul and Chani forming a special bond in the deserts of Arrakis, where a stillsuit is required to survive. This involves attaching an apparatus to one’s nose, and someone took it upon themselves to add that apparatus to Chalamet and Zendaya’s faces in a screen grab of them from when they were promoting Dune. Check out Zendaya sharing in on her Instagram Stories!
In the Dune universe, a stillsuit absorbs the body’s moisture and then filters it into drinkable water for the wearer, with the nose apparatus portion being called a filt-plug. Basically, if you want to stand any chance of living in Arrakis’ harsh desert climate, you need a still suit or you’re finished, so those filt-plugs will be present for many of the scenes between Paul and Chani. But when it comes to real life, Zendaya was amused by someone putting filt-plugs on her and Chalamet’s face in what was presumably a moment from the Dune promotional tour. I’d like to imagine the actors were recording a reaction video to the Dune: Part Two trailer and put those filt-plugs to get into the proper mood.
If you haven’t seen the Dune: Part Two trailer yet, rectify that by watching below; wearing a filt-plug is optional.
Picking up immediately where the first Dune left off, Dune: Part Two will see Paul Atreides forming an alliance with the Fremen to help him exact revenge on the Harkonnens and their allies for overthrowing House Atreides and killing his father. Along with other familiar faces like Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling returning, the Dune: Part Two cast will feature newcomers like Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot. Although Part Two will wrap up the original story that kicked off the Dune book series, screenwriter Jon Spaihts has said that the movie will leave the door open for a cinematic adaptation of Dune Messiah, which Denis Villenueve expressed interest in making back in August 2021.
Dune: Part Two opens in theaters on November 3, but if you’re interested in revisiting its predecessor now, it can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription. The rest of you would be wise to see what other later 2023 new movie releases catch your eye.
