- Zendaya would reprise her role as Chani in Dune: Part Three, expressing her trust in director Denis Villeneuve’s care for the franchise.
- Villeneuve highlights the importance of the characters Lady Jessica and Chani in Dune: Part Two and mentions the development of Dune: Messiah (Dune 3) which will mark the end of Paul Atreides’ journey.
- Early screenings of Dune: Part Two will take place on Sunday, February 25, along with special IMAX showings of Tenet featuring exclusive Dune 2 footage before the film’s official release.
The love story of Chani and Paul Atreides in the big-screen adaptation of Dune will continue in five short weeks. Although fans have been waiting for over two years for the return of Denis Villeneuve’s vision in Dune: Part Two, there is even more story to unfold beyond this sequel. Zendaya, the actress who plays Chani, is eager to reprise her role in Dune 3. Regarding her return, she told Variety:
“Would we be down? I mean, of course. Any time Denis calls, it’s a yes from me. I’m excited to see what happens. I started ‘Messiah’ and I was like, ‘Woah, I’m only shooting the first movie. Let me just go back to the first one.’ It’s so much to take in, but there’s no better hands with better care and love for it than Denis.”
She further added:
“I’m just excited to see. It’s just anticipation. Whenever he is ready. He’s a perfectionist in many ways and doesn’t want to share things until they’re ready. So, I’m respecting that and waiting until he’s ready.”
Director Denis Villeneuve discussed the film adaptation of Dune: Part Two with the South Korean Press, sharing that both Lady Jessica (played by Rebecca Ferguson) and Chani (played by Zendaya) will have more prominent roles in the film compared to the second half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel. Villeneuve also hinted at the future of the film franchise, mentioning the progress of Dune 3, also known as Dune: Messiah:
“There’s the dream of making an edition of Dune: Messiah — the third movie, which would be the end of the journey of Paul Atreides. It would make absolute sense for me to do the movie. That movie is being written right now. The screenplay is almost finished, but it is not finished. It will take a little time.”
He continued:
“I don’t know exactly when I will go back to Arrakis. I might make a detour before just to go away from the sun. For my mental sanity, I might do something in between. But my dream would be to go a last time on this planet that I love.”
Dune: Part Two is set to open in theaters on March 1. However, fans have a chance to return to Arrakis earlier with special advance screenings on Sunday, February 25. Tickets are currently on sale. Additionally, during the week of February 23-29, special IMAX screenings of Tenet will feature never-before-seen exclusive footage from Villeneuve’s highly anticipated sequel, Dune 2.