Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2023
Dune: Part Two
Buy Dune: Part Two now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Dune: Part Two' is an upcoming American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay by Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, and Eric Roth. Serving as a direct sequel to the 2021 film, it is the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert and will cover roughly the second half of the book. Returning cast members from the first film include Timothe Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgrd, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. New cast members include Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Christopher Walken, and La Seydoux.
Development began after Legendary Entertainment acquired film and TV rights for 'Dune' in 2016. Villeneuve signed on as director for the film in 2017, with the intention of making a two-part adaptation of the novel. Production contracts were only secured for a first film, with the second film having to be green-lit based on the first's success. Though Villeneuve was concerned about the sequel's certainty after the first film had a simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release, Warner Bros. assured him the sequel would happen if it performed well on HBO Max. After the critical and commercial success of the first film, Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment green-lit the film in October 2021. Filming began in July 2022 in Budapest, with pre-shooting taking place in the Brion tomb at Altivole, Italy earlier that month.
'Dune: Part Two' is set to be released on November 17, 2023.
Premise
This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Duke Paul Atreides, who has clairvoyant powers that may enable him to guide humanity to a better future. Now united with Chani and the Fremen, Paul is set on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing 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.
Cast
* Timothe Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the duke of House Atreides, who is called "Muad'Dib" by the Fremen
* Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Paul's Bene Gesserit mother and concubine to Paul's late father, Leto
* Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, the weapons master of House Atreides and Paul's mentor
* Stellan Skarsgrd as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, sworn enemy to Leto and former steward of Arrakis
* Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban, the brutish nephew of Baron Harkonnen
* Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat, a Mentat loyal to House Atreides
* Zendaya as Chani, a young Fremen woman and Paul's love interest
* Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam, a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother and the Emperor's Truthsayer
* Javier Bardem as Stilgar, leader of the Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr
* Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, the Emperor's daughter
* Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen's younger nephew and planned successor on Arrakis
* Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV, the Emperor of House Corrino
* La Seydoux as Lady Margot, a Bene Gesserit and close friend of the Emperor
* Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli, a Fremen warrior
Production
Development
In March 2018, Denis Villeneuve stated that his goal was to adapt the novel into a two-part film series. Villeneuve ultimately secured a two-film deal with Warner Bros. Pictures, in the same style as the two-part adaption of Stephen King's 'It' in 2017 and 2019. He stated that "I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie" as 'Dune' was "too complex" with "power in details" that a single film would fail to capture. In January 2019, Joe Walker was confirmed to be serving as the film's editor. Other crew include: Brad Riker as supervising art director; Patrice Vermette as production designer; Paul Lambert as visual effects supervisors; Gerd Nefzer as special effects supervisor; and Thomas Struthers as stunt coordinator. 'Dune: Part Two' will be produced by Villeneuve, Mary Parent, and Cale Boyter, with Tanya Lapointe, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Thomas Tull, Jon Spaihts, Richard P. Rubinstein, John Harrison, and Herbert W. Gain serving as executive producers and Kevin J. Anderson as creative consultant. Legendary CEO Joshua Grode confirmed in April 2019 that they plan to make a sequel, adding that "there's a logical place to stop the [first] movie before the book is over".In December 2020, Villeneuve stated that due to Warner Bros. plan to release the film in theaters and on HBO Max in the same time, the first film could underperform financially, which could lead to cancellation of the planned sequel. In an IMAX screening of the first film's first ten minutes, the title logo read 'Dune: Part One' lending credence to plans for the sequel. In August 2021, Villeneuve spoke more confidently about the sequel's chances of being filmed and his excitement to work with Timothe Chalamet and Zendaya again, while Chani was to have a bigger role in the sequel. Villeneuve said at the Venice Film Festival before the first film's debut that he is planning a trilogy, with 'Part Two' being based on the second half of the first novel and the third film being based on 'Dune Messiah'. Warner Bros. assured Villeneuve a sequel will be greenlit as long as the film performs well on HBO Max. Just days prior to the first film's release, Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff stated, "Will we have a sequel to 'Dune'? If you watch the movie you see how it ends. I think you pretty much know the answer to that."
On October 26, 2021, Legendary officially green-lit 'Dune: Part Two' with a spokesperson for the company stating "We would not have gotten to this point without the extraordinary vision of Denis and the amazing work of his talented crew, the writers, our stellar cast, our partners at Warner Bros., and of course the fans! Here's to more 'Dune'." A key point of negotiation prior to greenlighting the sequel was assuring that the sequel would have an exclusive window where it would only be shown theatrically, with Legendary and Warner Bros. agreeing to give 'Dune: Part Two' a 45-day window before it would be available through other channels. Villeneuve said this theatrical exclusivity was a "non-negotiable condition", and that "the theatrical experience is at the very heart of the cinematic language for me." With 'Dune: Part Two' greenlit, Villeneuve said that his primary concern was to complete the filming as soon as possible, with the earliest he expected to start in the last quarter of 2022. However, he did say the production of the second film benefited from all the work already established on the first and can help expedite production.
Writing
Eric Roth was hired to co-write the screenplay in April 2017, and Jon Spaihts was later confirmed to be co-writing the script alongside Roth and Villeneuve. 'Game of Thrones' language creator David Peterson was confirmed to be developing languages for the film in April 2019. In November 2019, Spaihts stepped down as showrunner on the 'Dune: The Sisterhood' TV prequel series to focus on 'Dune: Part Two'. In June 2020, Greig Fraser said, "It's a fully formed story in itself with places to go. It's a fully standalone epic film that people will get a lot out of when they see it". In February 2021, Eric Roth stated that he has written a full treatment for the potential sequel. In August 2021, Villeneuve also confirmed writing on it began. In March 2022, Villeneuve revealed the screenplay is mostly finished.Casting
In March 2022, Florence Pugh and Austin Butler were reported to be in talks to star in the film as Princess Irulan and Harkonnen heir Feyd-Rautha, respectively. In May, Christopher Walken joined the cast as Shaddam IV. In June, La Seydoux entered negotiations to join the cast as Lady Margot. In July, Souheila Yacoub joined the cast as Shishakli.
Filming
in Altivole, Italy, where pre-shooting of 'Dune: Part Two' was filmed in July 2022.Pre-shooting had commenced on July 4, 2022, at the Brion tomb in Altivole, Italy, for two days. Principal photography was set to begin on July 21 in Budapest, Hungary, and began earlier on July 18.
Music
Hans Zimmer will return to compose the film's score after doing so for the previous film. Zimmer had composed over 90 minutes of music prior to the announcement of the film to help give Villeneuve inspirations when writing.
Release
The film is scheduled to be released on November 17, 2023. The release date was originally announced as October 20, 2023.
Future
Villeneuve has expressed interest in making a third film based on 'Dune Messiah', the second novel in the series, adding that the possibility for the film depended on the success of 'Dune: Part Two'. Spaihts also reiterated in March 2022 that Villeneuve had plans on a third film as well as television spin-off series.
References
Buy Dune: Part Two now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2023