Zendaya Is the Protagonist in Dune: Part Two, Director Says

Dune — the upcoming adaptation of the sci-fi epic, identified onscreen as Dune: Part One — roughly covers the primary half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel. As the Dune trailers have proven, the film follows House Atreides, Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), his concubine Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and their son Paul (Timothée Chalamet), as they take management of a harmful desert planet known as Arrakis, dwelling to the universe’s most valuable substance: spice. Chalamet’s Paul is the protagonist on Dune, however he will not proceed in that place on Dune: Part Two, director Denis Villeneuve has revealed. Instead, Zendaya who performs Arrakis native and Paul’s love curiosity Chani, will take over.

“When I did the casting for Chani’s character, I met a lot of actresses,” Villeneuve instructed La Repubblica (translated by IGN). “Zendaya wanted to audition and today, after shooting the film and seeing what a wonderful actress she is, I’m sorry I auditioned her. It was just because I didn’t know her. However, that day, she impressed me and when she left the studio, I knew that Chani was her, the young desert tiger. I am honoured to present two such explosive talents on screen [Chalamet and Zendaya] and I can’t wait to shoot the second part of Dune to get them back together. Knowing that in the next chapter, Zendaya will be the protagonist of the story.”

Villeneuve had all the time deliberate Dune as a two-part movie collection, however that is the primary we’re listening to of his Dune: Part Two plans. In 2018, Villeneuve revealed that he solely signed onto Dune as director for Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros., on the situation that he would get a two-movie deal. In an interview in 2020, he stated: “I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie. The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details.” And so, when in late 2020 WarnerMedia stated all 2021 Warner Bros. titles would have a day-and-date launch on HBO Max, Villeneuve was pissed off as a result of he felt it jeopardised the way forward for his franchise.

“Streaming can produce great content, but not movies of Dune’s scope and scale,” Villeneuve added final December. “Warner Bros.’ decision means Dune won’t have the chance to perform financially in order to be viable and piracy will ultimately triumph. Warner Bros. might just have killed the Dune franchise. This one is for the fans. AT&T’s John Stankey said that the streaming horse left the barn. In truth, the horse left the barn for the slaughterhouse. […] My team and I devoted more than three years of our lives to make it a unique big screen experience. Our movie’s image and sound were meticulously designed to be seen in theatres.”

WarnerMedia remains to be sticking with its HBO Max determination for Dune — that seems extra smart up to now month or in order the Delta variant of COVID-19 has gripped the US. The nation reported over 250,000 new coronavirus circumstances on Monday. Naturally, audiences are actually extra reluctant to step into closed indoor areas comparable to cinemas, and Dune’s hybrid launch provides them the choice to see the movie how they really feel comfy. Villeneuve acknowledged the necessity to put public security first when he blasted WarnerMedia proprietor AT&T, however he believed as did everybody then that the world would return to a brand new regular by October 2021. Alas, that appears unlikely simply but.

Dune is out October 22 in cinemas worldwide, and on HBO Max within the US (for the primary month of its launch). In India, Dune will launch in English and Hindi. It could have its world premiere on September 3 on the 2021 Venice Film Festival.