Are you sufficiently prepared for the scale and sweep of Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two? The newly released trailer teases a gargantuan conclusion to the first chapter of the Dune saga, an instalment that will potentially make Dune: Part One seem like the Teletubbies.
As before, we are centrally anchored on the planet of Arrakis via the journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). Dune: Part One ended with Paul's ascendancy into the realm of the indigenous Fremen 'Mahdi', the chosen one who now goes by the adoptive name of 'Muad'Dib' (so named after the tenacious desert mouse that lurks within the shifting sands of sun-blasted Arrakis).
Embraced by the Fremen on one level, Paul must also grapple with his status as the emergent 'kwisatz haderach', the prophesied super-being in whose name an intergalactic jihad will ultimately be launched. Paul's destiny has been shaped by his status as the first male-born member of the Bene Gesserit sect, to which his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) belongs.
Enough plot for you so far? The lore (as per the second half of Frank Herbert's original novel) gets even more dense and spectacular with the reveal of several new characters. The destinies of Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), the dreaded Feyd Rautha (Austin Butler), nephew of the villainous Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard), and Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV (Christopher Walken) are all set to intersect with that of Paul in spectacular ways.
Oh, and there's a LOT more worm action in this one as Paul, with the assistance of the Fremen, grapples with the near-mythical 'shai hulud', the most grandiose of all Arrakis sandworms. But enough talk for now. Watch the trailer and let the sheer atmosphere and spectacle infuse your senses like the spice melange.
Further fleshing out the ensemble: the thought-to-be-dead Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), Paul's taciturn weapons master; and Chani (Zendaya), a member of the indigenous Arrakis Fremen whose escalating spiritual and physical connection with Paul (remember, he's seen her in his dreams) helps fuel this second instalment.
You can also make room for saga newcomer Lea Seydoux, playing Bene Gesserit member and the Emperor's confidante Lady Margot Fenring; Javier Bardem as Fremen leader Stilgar; and Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban, another of the Baron's nephews whose rivalry with Feyd Rautha complicates the internecine conflicts within House Harkonnen.
Rumour has it that Tim Blake Nelson will be playing Lady Margot's husband, Count Fenring, another character jockeying for position in an increasingly dangerous and complex political game. Stay tuned to the blog for the full breakdown of the Dune: Part Two trailer including reveals of all the key characters we've spotted.
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