Warner Bros. and Legendary have released the first “Dune Part II” trailer online, offering fans a first look at the highly anticipated sci-fi sequel after first unveiling footage to theater owners and press at CinemaCon.
The story finds Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides now on the run with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen, seeking revenge for the assassination of his father. Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard and Javier Bardem return from the first film, while newcomers to the cast include Florence Pugh, Austin Butler and Christopher Walken.
Denis Villeneuve returns to direct and co-write the follow-up, which adapts the rest of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel after the first film only covered the first half of the book.
The trailer opens with Paul and Chani flirting atop a desert peak before we shift to Princess Irulin’s grimdark narration. The new-to-the-franchise character, played by Florence Pugh, wonders out loud if the presumed dead heir (still played by Timothée Chalamet) to the throne is still alive, and intones that the darkest secret of all may be the fall of the House of Atreides. Rebecca Ferguson’s matriarch notes that the late patriarch (Oscar Isaac) didn’t believe in revenge, foretelling that Paul may choose a different path to avenge his family’s losses.
We get a brief shot at a bald-headed Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (who was flamboyantly played by Sting in David Lynch’s 1984 “Dune” movie) and some quick desert-set action. The next half of the trailer concerns Paul eventually baiting a giant sandworm to use the creature as a convenient mode of transportation. Spoiler: Paul rides a worm.
The final act of the 145-second trailer offers an action montage, with Ferguson arguing that “we” gave “them” something to hope for, with Chalamet angrily crying out that “That’s not hope!” Those who have read the book(s) know that the story is a little more morally complicated than, say, “The Lion King.”
“Dune” hit theaters and HBO Max simultaneously in 2021 and still managed to gross over $400 million worldwide. It was a critical smash as well, winning six Oscars including Film Editing, Score and Cinematography.
“Dune Part II” opens in theaters on Nov. 3, 2023.
