Dune will premiere in October, but Denis Villeneuve is already optimistic about Dune Part 2. The director revealed that the second part would have Zendaya as protagonist.
Dune is not yet in theaters, but director Denis Villeneuve knows what he has, so he looks forward to shooting Dune Part 2. The adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal science-fiction novel would be too much for just one movie. So the director only agreed to direct if Legendary and Warner Bros. allowed him to split the book into two films. Which they did.
But while there’s no official confirmation for the movie, the director is optimistic and excited about what’s to come. For the first movie, he has Timothée Chalamet as the protagonist. But he already knows what he wants for part two.
Denis told Total Film: “There’s no such thing as Dune 1 and Dune 2. It’s Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two. So the first thing was to prove that there was a beautiful, popular movie that can exist, and I think that I proved that – everybody at Warner Bros and Legendary, they are 100 percent behind the project. They feel that it would need a really bad outcome at the box office to not have a Dune: Part Two, because they love the movie. They are proud of the movie, so they want the movie to move forward. And they still did half of it. So, you know, I’m very optimistic.”
The director, known for movies like Blade 2049, Arrival, Sicario and Prisoners, knows that Dune can be a real treasure. He’s also very excited about his cast.
Villeneuve told La Repubblica (translated by IGN) that Zendaya moves into the protagonist position in “Dune Part 2.”
He revealed: “When I did the casting for Chani’s character, I met a lot of actresses. Zendaya wanted to audition and today, after shooting the film and seeing what a wonderful actress she is, I’m sorry I auditioned her. It was just because I didn’t know her. However that day, she impressed me and when she left the studio I knew that Chani was her, the young desert tiger. I am honored to present two such explosive talents on screen and I can’t wait to shoot the second part of Dune to get them back together. Knowing that in the next chapter Zendaya will be the protagonist of the story.”
Dune is scheduled to open in US cinemas and on HBO Max on October 22.
