Yes, Zendaya will have a much bigger role in the second Dune film according to its director
Chani gets to shine this time around.
Despite the huge strategic delay Dune: Part Two suffered back in August because of the Hollywood strikes, Denis Villeneuve's latest remains one of the most anticipated movies on the horizon. When the filmmaker and the cast promoted it at Brazil's CCXP 2023, we learned some new tidbits that only made us even more excited to finally watch it.
A big part of the chat with the movie's director and crew involved praising each other and reminiscing about how fun the experience of shooting the second sci-fi epic was, especially for newcomers such as Florence Pugh (Princess Irulan) and Austin Butler (Feyd-Rautha). The latter was asked if he was excited about joining the party when things heat up in the second half of Frank Herbert's novel. His answer was concise: "Yeah, I would say so... I feel so honored to be a part of this one. I had the best time of my life, truly. I wish that we got to film this every day for the rest of my life." Butler struggled to find the right words and seemed genuinely affected by the experience, and having seen his and Villeneuve's unique approach to Feyd-Rautha in the movie, his performance could be a standout in a ridiculously stacked movie.
Pugh is no stranger to big franchises, having landed a major role in the post-Endgame Marvel Cinematic Universe, but going to Arrakis was a new, thrilling experience for her nonetheless: "It felt like we'd been given this gift of being able to be on set with these amazing people... It truly was a 'pinch me' moment every single day, so thank you for having us, Denis." As you can see, every cast member has been well-trained to keep details in the dark, but their excitement seemed genuine.
Zendaya, however, was more vocal about the amount of Chani we're getting the second movie after playing a key but small role in the first half of the story. Fans who have read the book were aware of this, but those going in blind should know they're getting way more of a love story (with some twists and turns) between her and Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides. The actress said the following: "The first film, I literally was only there for about a week, so I'm very grateful that I had more time to understand Chani, understand who she is, and see and work with the most beautiful crew and talented group of people that made this whole thing come to life." Denis backed her up and hyped her part up: "She said she's a small part of it, but the question 'Is there more Zendaya in the movie?' Yes, there's a lot of Zendaya [laughter]."
Towards the end of the group interview, Timothée Chalamet brought up his desire to do a third movie, which would adapt the second novel, Dune Messiah. Villeneuve has been vocal in the past about wanting to make it if people respond well enough to Part Two, but even if the reception is positive enough, he'll most likely direct another movie before it. He remained tight-lipped but hopeful about the threequel though: "That would be a dream, honestly, yeah. Let's make it happen." Adding fuel to the fire, reporter and insider Jeff Sneider has already heard rumblings of Warner Bros. being "bullish" on the second movie and having already locked down a third one. But nothing's been confirmed yet.
If you haven't already and are looking to consume as much spice as possible before the movie hits theaters on March 1, 2024, watch the explosive third main trailer below:
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