Timothee Chalamet Teases Dune 2 First Look
There is no call the Atreides do not answer, according to their family slogan, and Timothée Chalamet did his part for the mythos by sharing a photo on Instagram teasing his role in Dune 2. The picture shows the actor standing in the recognizable climes of the desert planet Arrakis, his back mysteriously to the camera in the pensive pose of a tortured prophet. He is dressed in the familiar black cloak of a Fremen stillsuit, although his back bears a sharp skeletal design that is probably not from the movie.
The Dune saga is a series of six books that also has an array of spin-off books, all written either by Frank Herbert or his son Brian. The two-part Denis Villeneuve movies are a retelling of the first novel, which chronicles the war between the Atreides and the Harkonnen families over the planet Arrakis, also called Dune, the single source for the spice melange, a psychedelic drug whose psychic visions allow long-distance space travel. Timothée Chalamet plays Paul Atreides, heir to a family that is all but destroyed and being escorted to refuge by the Fremen in Dune 2.
As the machinations of the galaxy of the Atreides and the Harkonnens are revealed, the cast of characters for the second movie will broaden, introducing more of the conquering clan as well as the imperial Corrino clan, headed by Christopher Walken in the Denis Villeneuve films. Florence Pugh joins the cast as Princess Irulan Corrino, as well as Austin Butler as the Harkonnen nephew Fayd Rautha, with Lea Seydoux of No Time to Die and Souheila Yacoub from Climax in supporting roles. Timothée Chalamet is reprising his role as the tortured Paul Atreides, but Dune 2 promises audiences a view inside the Harkonnen and Corrino conspiracy as its primary theme.
Director Denis Villeneuve’s vision of the novel saw him focus the first film on the Atreides family, who are given the rulership of Arrakis by the Emperor, and the Bene Gesserit, a group of nuns whose influence and power make them the Illuminati of the Dune universe. When last viewers saw Paul and his mother Lady Jessica, the sole survivors of the Atreides clan, they were being whisked away by Araakis’s native population deep into the recesses of the planet to save them from the Harkonnen. Timothée Chalamet’s Paul is a powerful seer, and throughout Dune 2 he is challenged by his visions of the future to make decisions that he knows could lead to a terrible destiny.
Timothée Chalamet’s sneak peek of Dune 2 on his Instagram doesn’t reveal much and doesn’t even have a caption or comment from the star. Paul Atreides is shrouded in mystery in the Dune series, and the period in his youth when he becomes aware of the depth of his power is the crown of a series that takes place over thousands of years. The first of the Dune novels is a classic and it seems Denis Villeneuve is bringing that story to audiences in a way no one ever has before.
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a while longer to see Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune 2. The movie is coming to theaters on November 3, 2023. Meanwhile, fans can catch up on the first part of the story by watching Dune on HBO Max.
