Dune Part Two: Denis Villeneuve is dialling the action thrills up to 11 this time round

Anticipation could scarcely be higher for Dune: Part Two, with film fans eager to see how Canadian director Denis Villeneuve realises the second installment in his adaptation of Frank Hebert classic 1965 sci-fi novel. Of course, Villeneuve’s supremely stylish direction is central to the appeal of the Dune movies.

Since sending shockwaves through the cinematic landscape with his 2013 masterpiece Prisoners – a dark thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman and Viola Davis – Villeneuve has ascended to the status of one of modern cinema’s greatest directors. While he enjoyed more critical and commercial success with 2015’s Sicario, a rip-roaring thriller set amongst Mexico’s drug wars, undoubtedly the movie which secured Villeneuve the coveted Dune job was Blade Runner 2049, released two years later.

Similarly to Dune, Villeneuve was entrusted with helming an adaptation of beloved IP, and duly succeeded spectacularly. With Ryan Gosling in the lead role of replicant K, who discovers a secret that threatens to destabilise society, Blade Runner 2049 offered a stunning vision of a dystopian future, equal in its power to Ridley Scott’s landmark original Blade Runner of 1982. Boasting the same sort of poetic flourishes that made Scott’s movie so unforgettable, as well as some masterful set-pieces, Villeneuve’s bravura effort took its place amongst the 21st century’s greatest films.

If, like its venerated predecessor, Blade Runner 2049’s box office takings weren’t quite in line with its critical standing, Villeneuve had demonstrated a fearless approach to major artistic challenges, which the Dune franchise undoubtedly presented. If the basic elements of Herbert’s novel – vivid characters, memorable imagery and action set-pieces – suggest a slam-dunk as a cinematic blockbuster, previous experience suggested it was anything but.

Set thousand of years in the future, where sundry interstellar noble houses battle for control of the planet Arrakis – which is the source of a drug called spice that is essential for space navigation – Dune has a bewilderingly large cast of characters, in a story that thematically ties together various political, social and scientific strands. Certainly, adapting it for the screen is not a job for the faint of heart.

Josh Brolin in Dune: Part Two

Cult Chilean-French director Alexander Jodorowsky undertook a three-year development process that came to nought in the ’70s, while the aforementioned Scott was amongst several other heavyweights whose attempts to adapt Dune were also frustrated. Eventually, in the early ’80s, renowned Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis – in a quixotic choice – prevailed upon American arthouse maestro David Lynch to write and direct a big screen version.

While the resultant 1984 release contained Lynch’s trademark visual pyrotechnics (not to mention a score by Brian Eno and Toto of ‘Africa’ fame), it also featured his standard surrealist flourishes – in a story that already had its share of surreal moments. Thus, critics found the movie borderline incomprehensible in parts, even if, in time-honoured fashion, it eventually found a devoted cult following.

In tandem with Hollywood veteran Eric Roth and the highly regarded Jon Spaihts (who wrote two prequels for Scott’s Alien saga), Villeneuve’s first major achievement with Dune was co-writing an Oscar-nominated screenplay, which streamlined Herbert’s vision into a sleek sci-fi action movie. Adding to the excitement for the first outing was the announcement of an all-star cast, headed up by the duo of Timothee Chalamet as Arrakis’ custodian Paul Atreides, and Zendaya as his love interest Chani.

Elsewhere, the interstellar saga appropriately boasted other galacticos such as Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem and more. Released at the end of 2021, Dune was a film of the year contender, the universally excellent performances rounded out by some electrifying action sequences and Villeneuve’s characteristically macabre visual touches, all of which delighted the critics and the fans.

With the world still in partial lockdown, Dune’s box office was limited to $402 million, still an impressive figure given the circumstances, which – when combined with the movie’s streaming popularity on HBO Max – ensured Villeneuve and co. received the greenlight for a sequel. And if the range of acting talent in the first movie was incredible, Dune: Part Two might just boast the most star-studded cast of the decade.

Florence Pugh in Dune: Part Two

With the bulk of the participants from part one returning for duty, they are now being joined by – wait for it – Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Lea Seydoux, in a plot that sees Paul and Chani unite to fight his family’s enemies, as Paul struggles to prevent his nightmarish future visions from becoming a reality. A particular highlight looks like being Butler as the sinister Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, who gives the movie a real note of menace.

Elsewhere, if the first film had its more contemplative moments, Villeneuve is dialling the action thrills up to 11 this time round, describing this installment as an “epic war movie”. Perhaps the most keenly waited segment is the action sequence featuring Paul atop a massive sandworm, which reportedly took three months to shoot and had individual shots lasting up to half-an-hour.

Overall, the levels of anticipation and excitement for Dune: Part Two could be scarcely be any higher. But it’s not the only Dune action on the way this year, with the spin-off series Dune: Prophecy – featuring Emily Watson in the lead role – also in the offing, one of two major IP swings HBO Max is taking in late 2024, alongside The Penguin, based on Matt Reeves’ 2022 hit The Batman.

In addition, Villeneuve has hinted at his interest in completing a trilogy of movies, with the final part possibly to be based on the second novel in the series, Dune Messiah. But before all that, of course, there’s Dune: Part Two and another unforgettable thrill-ride. Fasten your seatbelts.

• Dune: Part Two is in cinemas this Friday, March 1.

The stars of Dune: Part Two star on the flip-cover of the current issue of Hot Press – out now: