Dune, before the franchise goes completely off the rails into clone wars and jihads, is a fascinating piece of world-building concerned with spice, worms, resource control, and colonization. After inspiring adaptations that eschew blockbuster tradition for the book’s weirdness, Denis Villeneuve took on Frank Herbert in safe, spectacular fashion. It was gorgeously realized, stark and awe-inducing, with Timothée Chalamet owning the role of chosen one Paul Atreides. Its complex plot and expansive themes were necessarily cut short, with the promise of a second act looming. Now, Dune: Part Two is nearly upon us and the trailer gives us the single most important thing that the series has yet to deliver: Timothée Chalamet up on a got-dang sandworm.
Take a look:
Ride that worm! Ride that worm!
I speak for all of us when I say, who cares about Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen’s relationship with Paul? Who cares if the sequel Powder-fied Austin Butler, turning the Elvis star into a hairless killing machine? Who cares what the deal is with Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan, aside from being played by Pugh? What matters is that the hooks are out and Chalamet is worming in style.
Ok, there’s a ton more to Dune: Part Two, but the trailer juxtaposes the anti-colonial revolution with that worm-riding so deftly that the larger plot is buried in the sand. Perhaps this is the way it should be, if the sequel wants to see the same kind of box office and critical success as its predecessor. But fingers crossed they don’t continue adapting the franchise past this point. Dune fans, y’all know what I’m talking about.
Dune: Part Two also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Christopher Walken and Léa Seydoux. Dune: Part Two hits theaters on November 3, 2023.