The long-anticipated movie version of Dune from director Denis Villeneuve is set to make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 3rd and will finally arrive in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22nd. Because Villeneuve negotiated that the story would be split into two films as a condition of his participation in the adaption of the classic Frank Herbert novel, the French director is already looking ahead to the next part.
In an interview with Italian magazine Il Venerdì di Repubblica translated by IGN, Villeneuve confirmed that actress Zendaya will be the lead of the second film.
“I’m honoured to present on-screen two talents [Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya] that are so explosive, 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 said. Chalamet plays Paul Atreides, who comes from a powerful family that is targeted due to their connection to a planet with an important resource. Zendaya portrays Chani, who first appears in Paul’s dreams and belongs to a nomadic tribe.
Zendaya’s role is reportedly small in the first film, but her casting is big news given the young actress’ recent success.
She won an Emmy at age twenty-four for her starring role in HBO’s Euphoria, and has appeared in major films like The Greatest Showman, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Spider-Man: Far from Home. Earlier this year, she starred in Netflix’s Malcolm and Marie, and she returns to the role of MJ in Spider-Man: No Way Home, due out December 17th.
This version of Dune has had a rocky road to the screen. The 1965 novel by Herbert was previously adapted into a 1984 film by David Lynch and a 2000 miniseries for the Sci-Fi Channel. Getting Villeneuve, an Oscar-nominated director known for Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, among other films, was a boon for the film, which was first announced for a November 20th, 2020 release. It was then pushed to December 2020 and then to its current October 2021 date. We speculated back in April that this big-budget visual experience might go just to theaters, but with the release date fast approaching, it appears that it will indeed arrive simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max.