You are not prepared for what is to come. Warner Bros. Pictures is back on the campaign trail, premiering a new trailer for its long-awaited sci-epic Dune: Part Two. The third teaser for Denis Villeneuve’s reimagining of the 1965 Frank Herbert classic comes just weeks after the film’s release date was bumped from November to March 2024, due to the extensive industry strikes. However, with negotiations firming and production schedules confirmed, Dune: Part Two is destined to return and if the latest trailer is anything to go by, it will pull no punches.
Opening with a subdued scene of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and Zendaya’s Chani discussing the prophet’s ongoing nightmares, the new Dune: Part Two trailer immediately launches into an all-out war. Images of the pair fighting alongside the Fremen splash across the screen, foreshadowing a brutal path of vengeance aimed squarely at the corrupt ruling class. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul must prevent a “terrible future” only he can foresee.
Importantly, the latest clip gives fans a first look at Austin Butler’s militant assassin Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. The bald-headed brute with a penchant for destruction is sent by Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, to put an end to the uprising. His appearance in the trailer is short-lived, but Villeneuve has done an excellent job in building up the new villain as an all-encompassing force of chaos and Butler is more than up for the job.
Joining Butler, Chalamet and Zandaya is an onslaught of screen talent. Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista and Charlotte Rampling reprise their roles from the 2021 epic, while Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, and Léa Seydoux make their long-awaited first appearances in the series.
Aside from simply introducing fans to new characters, the third Dune: Part Two trailer also manages to continue the franchise’s incredible aesthetic legacy. If nothing else, the new teaser is an excellent example of why director of photography Greig Fraser, production designer Patrice Vermette and visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert are the best in the business. The sprawling desert scenery is as much a starring character as the actors themselves and from the moment the first sandworm emerges from the grainy depths, the teaser takes on new life.
As Villeneuve pointed out, Dune: Part Two should not be seen as a sequel but rather a continuation of one larger story. Speaking with Vanity Fair earlier this year, the Academy Award recognised director lamented the ‘sequel’ tag.
“It’s important—it’s not a sequel, it’s a second part. There’s a difference,” Villeneuve said. “I wanted the movie to really open just where we left the characters. There’s no time jump. I wanted dramatic continuity with part one.”
Dune: Part Two is the follow-up to the six-time Academy Award-winning film based on Frank Herbert’s iconic novel. The blockbuster was released in 2021 and grossed over USD$400 million at the box office worldwide. The latest instalment will officially release in theatres and IMAX on 1 March 2024, with international distribution starting on 28 February 2024. You can watch the latest trailer for the film above.
