Although CinemaCon gave us glimpses into upcoming films this week, including premiering IMAX footage of Dune: Part Two, Vanity Fair is also breaking with new images from the anticipated sequel. Dune: Part Two is a true “Part 2” as director Denis Villeneuve wants to emphasize that this film isn’t just another story but a continuation of the first one. The Dune novel was deemed unadaptable due to its magnitude, and the scale was more than a mere film could capture, so it was decided to split the story into halves.
To find more newly released images and plot details, head to Vanity Fair’s page for their exclusive. More light is also shed on the new characters entering the saga. Florence Pugh has been added to play Princess Irulan, the daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV, whose power as Supreme Ruler wanes as his control over the warring factions loosens. Shaddam is played by Christopher Walken. Villeneuve says of Irulan, “Her stake could not be higher because she’s afraid that her father could lose the throne, could lose everything. When I met Florence, I was struck by her assurance, how grounded she is as a young woman, how direct, how unapologetic. She has something inherently royal about her. I will definitely believe that Florence could become, in the future, a prime minister.”
Elvis breakout star Austin Butler also joins as Harkonnen prince Feyd-Rautha, who was portrayed by Sting in the David Lynch adaptation. Villeneuve extends the musician connection when he says the Elvis actor drew a comparison to another rock star, “Austin Butler brought to the screen something that would be a cross between a psychotic, sociopath serial killer and Mick Jagger.” Léa Seydoux has been added to the sequel in the role of another new character, Lady Margot, who is a member of the Bene Gesserit. The director explains, “Margot Fenring is a Bene Gesserit sister, but will be a secret agent in the movie. It was very playful to work with Léa. It’s a character full of surprises.”
Villeneuve wanted to give this entry a lot of heart, as the director’s films are usually very character-driven, but in this film, he didn’t want the core love story to be too overwhelming in the epic tale. He describes it as a war action movie. “I wanted to make a very human movie, very close to the characters, despite the scope of the film. I kept saying to my crew, ‘The most important thing is that spark, that relationship between both of these characters.’ If we don’t capture that, if we don’t have that onscreen, there’s no movie. The epicenter of the story is this relationship.”
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