EntertainmentMoviesSci-Fi MoviesDune 2Dune 2 release date, cast, and everything you need to know about the upcoming sequelWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesSci-Fi MoviesDune 2Dune 2 release date, cast, and everything you need to know about the upcoming sequelWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Dune 2 is right around the corner, and we finally know what critics think. For everything you need to know about ourDune: Part Two review, read on below, as well as the latest on the new movie. It’s certainly been a long wait for the highly anticipated follow-up to Denis Villeneuve’s award-winning blockbuster, after a series of delays pushed it back to its March release date.
Dune, released back in 2021, follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the son of a powerful Duke, whose entire life is thrown into chaos when his father Leto (Oscar Isaac) accepts a stewardship role on the hostile planet of Arrakis. The first film, which garnered over $400 million at the global box office despite being a simultaneous streaming release, is based on the first half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name.
Chalamet returns as rebel leader Paul Atreides, with Zendaya’s Chani at his side, to avenge his family and prevent a terrible future that only he can predict. The film was delayed four different times due to theSAG-AFTRA strike– and Villeneuve stayed busy writinga third installment(and aspin-off seriesbased on the books has already been cast.)
If you’re not up to date with everything Dune: Part Two, there’s still time to catch up before the movie’s release. We’ve rounded up the full cast, the plot (as told from Villeneuve himself), and all three trailers. Get ready to scroll.
Dune 2 release date
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Dune: Part Two was originally meant to be released onOctober 20, 2023beforebeing pushed back to November 17and then even further back to March 15, 2024due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors' strike. Thanks to the strike eventually resolving, the film was able to move up its release date and is now set to hit theaters on March 1, 2024.
The official runtimeis 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is only 11 minutes longer than Dune: Part One. Moviegoers can watch the film in IMAX 70mm at select theaters.
Dune 2 plot
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Dune: Part One ends with Paul going against his mother’s wishes and teaming up with the desert world’s people, the Fremen, in an effort to free it from the evil Harkonnens – whom Paul’s family has been fighting for centuries – and fulfill his father’s goal of bringing peace to Arrakis. (And a sandworm swallows a bunch of people).
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The official logline for Dune: Part 2 reads: “Paul faces a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.”
“The first movie was more meditative and contemplative. We were following a young man discovering a new planet, a new culture,” Villeneuve explains in the2024 preview issue of Total Film. “The second movie… it’s more of an action film than the first part. It’s more muscular.”
“All of the elements are there,” Villeneuve continued. “But I think the movie adaptation is more tragic than the book. The way that Part Two ends… it would create a total balance and equilibrium to finish Paul’s storyline in what we could say in Part Three.”
Timothée Chalamet toldTotal Filmall about the sandworm-riding scene (which is teased in the trailers), saying, “Beyond being an exciting sequence in the movie, it represents a coming of age, it’s where Paul’s supposed prophecy would fall flat, and it would mean his death if he can’t rise to the occasion. So the stakes of that moment are huge, and the doing of it was thrilling. It was industrial fans blowing sand, and a slab of worm was built. It was an amazing experience.”
Dune 2 cast
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
As the world of Dune expands, so does its cast of heroes and villains. The usual suspects are back, save for Oscar Isaac’s Leto who got (spoiler) in Part One.
New additions to the cast include Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli, Christopher Walken as Padyszach Imperator Szaddam IV, and Tim Blake Nelson in an undisclosed role. Austin Butler plays the new big bad, Feyd-Rautha, who is the nephew and heir of Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron Harkonnen. Plus,Anya Taylor-Joy’s surprise appearance at the world premiereconfirmed the rumors that she had joined the cast for Part Two.
Zendaya’s limited role as Chani in Part One will be greatly expanded in Part Two, even beyond the scope of the novel, with director Denis Villeneuve tellingTotal Film"as the movie progresses, there’s a shift in the main character, and Chani becomes my reference as a point of view."
“He was really able to build out a strong sense of [Chani’s] own views and life,” Zendaya echoed. “It wasn’t entirely like she’s at the will of who she’s in love with. I did feel a particular sense of care for what Chani represents in his films.”
Butler described his villain character to Total Film, saying, “Denis described him to me as having a psychotic nature, but yet there’s something sort of seductive about him as well. And he’s hungry for power. I started thinking: ‘Well, how did he grow up? What would his voice sound like? How would he breathe? How would he move?’ That was the real fun, where you start filling in all those details, and putting meat on the bone.”
Dune 2 trailer
The first trailer for Dune: Part 2was released in May 2023. The brief clip sees Florence Pugh’s Princess Irluan ask, “What if Paul Atreides was still alive?” before cutting to Paul (Timothee Chalamet) riding a giant sandworm. We also meet Austin Butler’s bald, toothless, and gray-scale portrayal of Feyd Rautha.A second trailerwas released in June, which gives us a glimpse of a head-to-head fight between Paul and (scary and bald) Feyd-Rautha.
A third and final trailerwas released in December 2023. In the clip, which can be viewed above, we see Paul team up with the Fremen people to take on the Harkonnens. “You’ve been fighting the Harkonnens for decades,” he says. “My family has been fighting them for centuries.” We’re also treated to another glimpse at Butler’s bald, toothless, and all-around frightening villain – who Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan refers to as “psychotic.”
Dune 2 review
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
It’s the full five stars for the hugely anticipated sequel. Total Film’s reviewer writes: “Has Denis Villeneuve’s road always been leading into Frank Herbert’s desert? In 1998, his debut August 32nd on Earth showed a poetic feel for character and sandy landscapes; fish-eyed follow-up Maelström, meanwhile, revealed a surreal flair. His clout as an action director emerged later, but be assured: with outsized pomp, punch and weirding business, Part Two positions his Dune duology as one of the great mind-melds of director to material in modern fantasy filmmaking.”
This follows on from thefirst reactionsto Dune 2, which poured in after the world premiere.
For more, check out our list of the most excitingupcoming moviesin 2024 and beyond.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”