DUNE: PART TWO Photos Offer a First Look at Several Characters and New Details Revealed

Earlier this week, I got to see the first trailer for Dune: Part Two at CinemaCon, and it was stunning and epic! This next chapter of the story is going to be so much bigger than the first movie, and I can’t wait to see it! While we wait for a trailer to be released, Vanity Fair has shared a few photos offering a first look at several characters from the movie, including Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan.

This sequel “will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.”

When talking about the film, director Denis Villeneuve tells the outlet that Dune: Part Two is a “war epic action movie,” and explained: “It’s important—it’s not a sequel, it’s a second part. There’s a difference. I wanted the movie to really open just where we left the characters. There’s no time jump. I wanted dramatic continuity with part one.”

When talking about Pugh’s Princess Irulan, who is the daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), whose power as Supreme Ruler is waning as his control over the warring factions is loosening, he revealed: “Her stake could not be higher because she’s afraid that her father could lose the throne, could lose everything. When I met Florence, I was struck by her assurance, how grounded she is as a young woman, how direct, how unapologetic. She has something inherently royal about her. I will definitely believe that Florence could become, in the future, a prime minister.”

Austin Butler also stars in the film as Harkonnen prince Feyd-Rautha. When talking about the actor Villeneuve said: “Austin Butler brought to the screen something that would be a cross between a psychotic, sociopath serial killer and Mick Jagger.”

Léa Seydoux takes on the role of a new character in the movie, Lady Margot, who is a member of the Bene Gesserit. The director opened up about this character saying, “Margot Fenring is a Bene Gesserit sister, but will be a secret agent in the movie. It was very playful to work with Léa. It’s a character full of surprises.” 

Villeneuve goes on to explain that wanted this movie to have a lot of heart and wanted to make a very human film. He explained: “I wanted to make a very human movie, very close to the characters, despite the scope of the film. I kept saying to my crew, ‘The most important thing is that spark, that relationship between both of these characters.’ If we don’t capture that, if we don’t have that onscreen, there’s no movie. The epicenter of the story is this relationship.”

The relationship he’s talking about is obviously Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and Zendaya’s Chani. Other members of the cast include Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Tim Blake Nelson, Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Stephen McKinley Henderson.

The highly anticipated sequel Dune: Part Two will arrive in theaters on November 3, 2023. The piece at VF includes more details about all the new characters.