Dune Part II
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Screenplay by Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts
Based on Dune by Frank Herbert
Produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Patrick McCormick, Tanya Lapointe, Denis Villeneuve
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the exiled Duke of House Atreides who sides with the Fremen to overthrow the tyrannical House Harkonnen
Zendaya as Chani, a young and rebellious Fremen warrior who is Paul’s love interest
Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Paul’s Bene Gesserit mother and concubine to Paul’s late father and predecessor, Leto Atreides
Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, the former military leader of House Atreides and Paul’s mentor
Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen’s youngest nephew and heir (“na-Baron”) to House Harkonnen
Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, the Emperor’s daughter
Dave Bautista as Beast Rabban, nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and older brother of Feyd-Rautha
Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe and head of House Corrino
Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring, a Bene Gesserit and close friend of the Emperor
Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli, a Fremen warrior and Chani’s friend
Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, head of House Harkonnen and former steward of Arrakis, enemy to the Atreides, uncle of Feyd-Rautha and Glossu Rabban, and later revealed to be Lady Jessica’s father and thus, Paul’s grandfather.
Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam, a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother and the Emperor’s Truthsayer
Javier Bardem as Stilgar, leader of the Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr
Cinematography Greig Fraser
Edited by Joe Walker
Music by Hans Zimmer
Production company Legendary Pictures
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates February 6, 2024 (Auditorio Nacional) March 1, 2024 (United States)
Running time 165 minutes
To describe Dune II as an awesome accomplishment is understating the case. It’s nearly three hours long, but the time just flies by. The sets are gargantuan, overwhelming, and totally plausible. The people and cultures portrayed are utterly alien bordering on unearthly, yet the viewer quickly finds a sense of familiarity and belonging. It is, in every sense of the word, an epic film, and yet one leaves with a sense of intimacy.
This Villeneuve version of the Dune series, widely regarded as unfilmable due to the sheer scope of the scenes, the oddity of the cultures and personalities portrayed, and the complex and labyrinthine plots, got off to a solid start in the first part of Dune, released in 2021. The casting was meticulous, but those familiar with the books wondered if Timothée Chalamet could transition from Paul Atreides to the charismatic and messianic figure of Muad’Dib. And could Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), pampered and powerful Bene Gesserit witch, (and something of a Princess Buttercup in the first movie) become a traitor and an outcast to her sisterhood whilst becoming holy mother to the Kwisatz Haderach and mother of Alia the Abomination. Many of the characters in the first movie are now dead or missing (and more follow that destiny in the second) and many new characters arise to supplant them. All this, along with the scale and depth, with dozens of side plots and a galaxy-spanning vista, make for a daunting project.
Dune II succeeds brilliantly, and may just be the finest science fiction film made to date.
A third Dune is in the works. My hope is that this lavish and profound project will continue to maintain the impossibly high standards set here.