“It’s a trailer launch? It looks like a premiere,” Denis Villeneuve joked after introducing the stars of “Dune Part Three” to an AMC theater full of journalists, film critics, bloggers and creators in Los Angeles on the Monday after the Oscars.
Returning “Dune” stars Zendaya and Javier Bardem, as well as franchise newbies Anya Taylor-Joy (her cameo in “Part Two” notwithstanding) and Robert Pattinson, joined Villeneuve to preview the epic conclusion to his sci-fi film trilogy.
“I’m so excited,” Zendaya, who plays Fremen warrior Chani, said after confirming she’d already seen the footage that was about to roll on screen. “These movies have meant so much to me over the years. I’ve literally been able to grow up in my entire 20s doing them, and so they have such a special place in my heart.”
Timothée Chalamet, who plays the series’ central character Paul Atreides, didn’t attend in person, but instead introduced the special event via video message.
“This film would not exist without the master of cinema, the great artist that is Denis Villeneuve,” Chalamet said in the recording. “Denis always says, ‘Vive le cinéma.’ And with this third film, I think he has done just that: a true act of cinema. I’m not alone in saying thank you to Denis for his dedication in bringing the ‘Dune’ films to life — and now the ‘Dune’ trilogy to life.”
After filming the first two parts in rapid succession, Villeneuve had planned to make another totally separate film before heading back to Arrakis, but the response to the second movie changed his mind.
“We screened the movie in Mexico; there were 14,000 people outside the theater and 5,000 people inside. It was that rollercoaster around the world and seeing the excitement, and I felt an appetite for the third movie,” Villeneuve explained. “I felt a responsibility to finish the story.”
“Dune: Part Three,” inspired by Frank Herbert’s “Dune: Messiah,” tells the story of what happens after Paul — the warrior prince and chosen one — defeats the Harkonnens and becomes Emperor, embracing his role as the Fremen’s messiah and initiating a holy war. He also marries Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) for political power, causing Chani to abandon him. The teaser features explosive glimpses of the galactic conflict that follows, as well as the internal battles that plague Paul.
The clip opens with Paul and Chani in happier times, discussing baby names. “If we have a girl what should we name her?” Chani asks. “Her name should be Ghanima. She would need to be strong like her mother,” Paul replies, then asks, “What if it’s a boy?” Chani replies: “I would name him Leto, so he would have the wisdom of his grandfather.”
“Dune” fans will immediately recognize this bit of foreshadowing, but we won’t spoil it here. Instead, let’s relish the gorgeous, lens-flared footage of Zendaya walking along the dunes, while Chani is still the “heartbeat” of Villeneuve’s story, this is “Dune,” not “Under the Tuscan Sun.”
Paul’s angst features heavily in the teaser. “War feeds on itself,” he says in voiceover. “The more I fight, the more enemies fight back. I’m doing the best I can to protect my family.” Here, he turns to his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), for consul. “How did father do it?” Paul asks. “Your father never started a war,” she replies.
The teaser shows glimpses of all the major characters, including Bardem’s Fremen leader Stilgar and Taylor-Joy’s Alia Atreides, Paul loyal little sister, plus a first look at Pattinson as the movie’s antagonist, Scytale. (Audiences have to wait to hear what Pattinson sounds like as the character, but his icy stare and shock-blonde hair foreshadow a dynamic performance to come.)
The footage ends with Paul — with a buzzed haircut — preparing for another battle. “I’m not afraid to die,” he declares. “But I must not die yet.”
As part of the trailer launch event, Villeneuve and the cast sat for a Q&A, moderated by Reece Feldman, and teased what audiences can expect from the film. To add to that anticipation. Warner Bros. also released the character posters for the ensemble cast, which also features Jason Momoa (Hayt) and Isaach de Bankolé (Farok).
Here’s what we learned about “Dune Part Three”:
There’s a major timeline jump.
“Dune: Part Three” takes place “many years” after the events of “Part Two” — 17 years, to be precise.
Villeneuve revealed that threequel has a different tone, rhythm and pace, too. “If the first movie was more of a contemplation, like a boy exploring a new world, and the second one being a war movie, this one is more action-packed and tense,” he said.
Paul Atreides is “dealing with the consequences of having too much power, and he is trying to figure out how to get out of this cycle of violence,” he explained. “As an Emperor who can see the future, he’s kind of invincible. But there are people trying to overthrow him.”
Despite the intensity, Villeneuve added, Paul and Chani’s love story is still the “heartbeat” of the film.
“Part 3” is Villeneuve’s “most personal film” to date.
Villeneuve said Herbert’s “Dune: Messiah” is his favorite in the sci-fi series, by far — “It’s a very dark, beautiful book,” he said — and adapting it into a film was close to his heart. Why? “It’s a story about Paul and Chani and them struggling with their relationship, having the burden and incredible pressure from the world around them, and Paul is trying to find a way out of this cycle of violence,” he explained. “There’s something about their love, through time and the way they are, their relationship evolves.”
What’s next for the people of Arrakis?
Pugh sent in a pre-recorded message asking Zendaya what Chani thinks of Irulan now, mentioning that the last time Chani was running away from her.
“I want to start by saying I love Florence Pugh, so wonderful in this role,” Zendaya said, explaining that she’d hoped to do more scenes together after only sharing that brief glance in the previous movie. Hesitant to spoil anything, she teased: “You guys will just have to see for yourself what happens, because it’s quite the journey.”
Bardem also took a moment to describe his character, Stilgar, and what audiences can expect from him. “It takes him to a place where he sees different realities of what being in power means after so long, and he’s in this contradiction between the loyalty to the idea that he strongly fought and believed back in the day, and also the result of the idea becoming something that he thinks or feels that he may not be.” Bardem continued, The thought that one thing one day he dreamed about sounds complicated. It’s a great analogy about the idea of power and having the power, and then Stilgar is there in that contradiction.”
Taylor-Joy described Alia as having an intense blessing and curse. “She carries the weight and the wisdom of generations and generations in her head. She’s never in a singular conversation. It’s kind of everything everywhere, all at once. And the one thing that she really feels most strongly about is her love and devotion to her brother, because that is the only person who’s ever made her feel like she makes sense.” Paul is the only person who has understood her before she was even born, Taylor-Joy explained, and she will do anything for him — “to various degrees of insanity.”
Pattinson was a big fan of Villeneuve’s “Dune” movies before the opportunity came to join the cast. “I absolutely adored these movies, saw them multiple times in the theater. I was talking to you on the set of ‘The Drama,’” he said, looking over to Zendaya, ” I was like, ‘How do I get in one of those “Dune” movies?’ It was a very unexpected call a few months later.”
“They’re such a towering achievement by the cast,” Pattinson continued. “Everybody wants to work with Denis; he’s a master. And when you see the scope and scale and ambition of these movies, like on set, you get why they feel like this on the screen. It’s just extraordinary.”
About Scytale specifically, Pattinson said he was eager to play a character that’s quite “unusual” in the book. “You can’t really tell whose side he’s on. That’s kind of what makes him quite interesting, he said. “I wouldn’t say he’s a conventional bad guy, as such. He might even be a good guy. Who knows? I will also find out when I see the movie. It’s an extremely fun character to play and the look of it is quite extraordinary.”
Duncan Idaho is back!
Yes, Momoa’s character returns for “Part Three,” even though the Atreides warrior died honorably in the first movie.
But now, Villeneuve teased, “He comes back just at the right moment in the story. And it’s a very important comeback. Paul is struggling with his identity, and having that kind of strong Atreides figure coming back from the past will have a tremendous impact.”
How “Dune’s” artisans brought Villeneuve’s vision to life.
As previously reported, composer Hans Zimmer returns to score the film. Costume designer Jacqueline West, production designer Patrice Vermette and editor Joe Walker also returned. Linus Sandgren is the new cinematographer for “Part Three,” stepping in for Greig Fraser, who shot the first two movies (and won an Oscar for the first film).
Villeneuve teased that the world has changed in the 17 years Paul ruled Arrakis: the desert climate itself has changed, but the action will take place on different parts of Arrakis and totally new planets as well. “I wanted to approach this with a new pair of eyes,” he said.
Sandgren shot most of the movie on 65mm film, but “a big part of it was shot on Imax film, which was a first for me,” Villeneuve said. “I kept the desert in digital because I like the brutality.” Filming with the “epic” Imax cameras was unique. “When you see the result on screen, it’s quite unmatchable,” he added. “I hope I will have the chance to do it again.”
As for how he’d like audiences to see “Part Three,” Villeneuve said, “The movie is really meant to be an Imax experience and to be seen on the biggest screen as possible.”
So, what’s the status of the movie right now? Denis confirmed the film is still “cooking” ahead of its scheduled Dec. 18 release date. “It’s going well; the movie is alive,” he joked, explaining that the team is “full-speed” in post-production; he’s finished with the edit, but finishing the VFX takes time.
“After this [event], I’m running out to the editing room again,” Villeneuve said, introducing the first taste of the film.
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