MOVIE NEWS – Dune: Part Two will follow Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet on their “desert adventure”, says Denis Villeneuve.

Filming on the sequel to Dune starts this summer, and we can assume that Zendaya will be spending a lot of time on location. Director Denis Villeneuve has confirmed that the Emmy-winning Euphoria star will have a much “more prominent role” in the second part of the Dune movie epic, as she will play one of the two central roles alongside Timothée Chalamet. The filmmaker made the announcement in an interview with Variety, promising Zendaya significantly more screen time in the sequel.

“For Zendaya, I will say Part One was a promise.”

“I know that we saw a glimpse of her in Part One, but in Part Two, she’ll have a prominent part. We will follow Timothée [Chalamet] and Zendaya on their adventures in the desert. That’s the thing that excited me most about going back to Arrakis is to spend time with those characters again.”

Villeneuve also touched on the recent news that Black Widow star Florence Pugh is in talks to join the cast of Dune: Part Two. He cannot officially confirm Pugh’s casting, as Villeneuve says, “things are not solidified” on the negotiations. However, Villeneuve says she is “a big fan of Florence” and is confident the casting will come together. This is another sign that the director wants a very strong team for the sequel, as was the case with the first Dune. Villeneuve didn’t elaborate on this in his interview with Variety, but Elvis star Austin Butler is also reportedly in talks for the film.

There’s not much else Villeneuve has to say about the second part of Dune, but he did offer one crucial scene that will be in the sequel. The only hint he can give away is that it involves sandworms, and judging by the sounds of it, the scene will be one of the most memorable of the two Dune films.

“It involves sandworms that’s going to be one of the beautiful challenges of my life. And I know if I do it right, that will be the scene.”

Earlier, Javier Bardem had already hinted that his character would be seen more in the second Dune film. The actor revealed this in a separate interview with Vanity Fair, where he spoke about the casting of Dune. Let’s add that this is not too surprising if we know the original novel, as both Chani (Zendaya) and Stilgar (Bardem) play critical roles in the second half of the story. And Denis Villeneuve has already made it clear with the first Dune movie that he is trying to adapt the story as faithfully as possible to the screen.

Dune: Part Two is scheduled for release on 20 October 2023.

Source: Variety