Posted in: Dune, Legendary, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: Anya Taylor-Joy, denis villeneuve, dune: messiah, dune: part two

Anya Taylor-Joy On Her Dune: Part Two Cameo And Dune: Messiah Hopes

Anya Taylor-Joy details how her cameo in Dune: Part Two came to be, how secretive the entire thing was, and her hopes for Dune: Messiah.

When the premiere of Dune: Part Two rolled around, people were shocked when Anya Taylor-Joy walked the red carpet. She reportedly had a very small role in the film that was being kept a closely guarded secret, and in one of the rare moments of the internet not ruining things, no one knew about it until that premiere. The list of characters she could be was pretty short, and people familiar with Dune: Messiah specifically, guessed pretty quickly who she was playing. Taylor-Joy, in a new interview with Variety, detailed how she auditioned for another role in the film [if we were a guessing woman, I would say probably Princess Irulan], but scheduling conflicts and the massive production for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga looked like it was going to get in the way. However, Dune director Denis Villeneuve wanted her to be in the movie, and Taylor-Joy insisted she could be in two different places at once if that were what it took.

 "Before I even sat down, he was like, 'I want you to be in "Dune," but you can't do it!'" Taylor-Joy recalls. "I was like, 'Please?' I skipped all the stages of grief and went straight to begging I was like, 'I can do this. I can be in Australia and Abu Dhabi at the same time.' He wanted me to be part of the universe. We kept in touch. I just had this feeling that it wasn't over."

Dennis Villeneuve: Anya Taylor-Joy Is Alia

Taylor-Joy explained how she felt a little discouraged when she learned that Dune: Part Two went into production without her hearing from Villeneuve, but she never really lost hope. There was something that made her believe that this was meant to happen. Villeneuve contacted her about the small cameo appearance she would play as Alia, Paul's younger sister who plays a significant role in Dune: Messiah, and how he had to make a deal with the studio to make the scene come together.

It was kept so under wraps that nearly no one knew about it aside from the tiny crew she and Villeneuve shot with, and she explained that even "no one at the studio knew. My face had been blurred out" in early cuts of the film. Taylor-Joy told a few people, including her parents and husband, and took her mom to the Namibia shoot with her. Villeneuve seemed determined to make it happen and explained that Taylor-Joy was Alia, full stop.

"Anya was Alia as soon as I met with her," Villeneuve explained. "In fact, I realized after the fact she has always been Alia. Anya feels out of this world, as though she belongs to some other dimension, one step into the dream." Villeneuve went on to say that the otherworldliness Taylor-Joy inhabits carried over onto set, as he explained, "Shooting with Anya in Africa was nothing short of magical. Her generosity, candor, and passion truly moved me. I can't wait to go back on Arrakis with her."

Going back is the keyword because it looks like Dune: Messiah was not guaranteed for a hot minute there, but the film was confirmed in early April. So when asked if another Dune is in her future, Taylor-Joy replied, "I hope so," we can probably say it's a lot more likely now than it was a little over a month ago now that we know the film is happening. As previously stated, Alia is a massive part of Dune: Messiah, and there isn't any way to tell that story without her. We'll be seeing Taylor-Joy as Alia again, save for some massive conflict no one could predict on the horizon. Well, maybe Paul could predict it, but that's neither here nor there.

Dune: Part Two – Summary, Cast List, Release Date

The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on Dune: Part Two, the next chapter of Frank Herbert's celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021's six-time Academy Award-winning Dune.

The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert's acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (Wonka, Call Me by Your Name), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Malcolm & Marie, Euphoria), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (Avengers: End Game, Milk), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis, Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood), Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Black Widow, Little Women), Dave Bautista (the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Thor: Love and Thunder), Oscar winner Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Hairspray), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences, Lady Bird), Léa Seydoux (the James Bond franchise and Crimes of the Future), with Stellan Skarsgård (the Mamma Mia! films, Avengers: Age of Ultron), with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Assassin's Creed), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Being the Ricardos).

Dune: Part Two 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. Dune: Part Two was released on March 1, 2024, worldwide release from Warner Bros. Pictures.

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