Posted in: Dune, Legendary, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: denis villeneuve, dune, dune: part two

Dune: Part Two Is A "War Film" But "At The Very Core Is A Love Story"

Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve says that the sequel is a "war film," but the romance between Paul and Chani is "at the very core" of the story.

Yesterday, we got the bad news that Dune: Part Two would be delayed from November of this year to March. Unfortunately for publications like Empire Magazine, delays like that don't stop the presses, and today, they began to roll out a massive cover story covering the film. Timing was not on their side nor on the side of those of us patiently waiting for Part Two of this film. However, the delay could have been avoided if studios like Warner Bros. Discovery would pay actors and writers livable wages, but here we are, waiting for more. That being said, it sounds like director Denis Villeneuve is very excited for people to see Part Two, saying that "it's alive" and "Part One was like the promise of something, but Part Two delivers on that. I'm exhausted but a happy director." It's always good to hear that the director is happy with the progress that is being made on a film like this. Dune very much lives up to the name in that it is a Part One and Part Two; that first film felt like half a movie, and this second half coming together essentially means that the entire movie is coming together. If you were one of the people who thought Part One was a little on the slow side, you aren't wrong, but you're in for something different with Part Two and Villeneuve saying, "The first movie was more contemplative – a young man discovering a world. Here, it's a war movie." Dune: Part Two isn't just a war movie because the romance, teased through vision in Part One, between Paul [Timothée Chalamet] and Chani [Zendaya] and Villeneuve acknowledges that the relationship and dynamic between them are at the "very core" of the film.

"At the very core is a love story between Paul and Chani," says the director. "How Paul will gain her trust, how she will open her heart to him, and how they will find a way to free Chani's world from the Harkonnen grip. It's a much more emotional movie."

In the first trailer for Dune: Part Two, we saw that it was teasing a very different turn for Paul and one that could go much darker. That journey is the one we'll be watching evolve even more through this second film, and Villeneuve spoke about how he sometimes had to pull Chalamet back in Part One because he was trying to become a version of Paul that we wouldn't see until Part Two. 

"I remember when I was doing Part One, I kept saying to Timothée, 'No, you're just Paul.' Because he was reaching for Muad'Dib. He was looking forward to becoming that hero, and I was pushing the brakes," laughs Villeneuve, suggesting dark days to come. "He has the power to change things, but he knows that if he does so, it will create an astronomical amount of violence, and he will become a kind of dictator. He's trying to find a way to avoid that ominous future – that's the burden upon his shoulders."

Sadly, this delay and many others could have been avoided if the studios had just paid people livable wages and ended the strike. That isn't the reality we're living in, and Dune: Part Two is another big blockbuster that is losing some prime real estate of a November release to land in the early spring, not usually a time we see films like this. It also means that Dune: Part Two won't be an Oscar contender for 2023. Could it still enter in 2024? Absolutely, but people sometimes forget about films that are released in spring, so we'll have to see just how far-reaching the ongoing greed of studios continues to be.

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 is slated for a March 15, 2024, worldwide release from Warner Bros. Pictures.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!