Denis Villeneuve and Timothée Chalamet unveiled an action-packed new trailer for “Dune: Part Three,” marking the latest and most comprehensive look at the highly anticipated final chapter in his sci-fi trilogy.
The Oscar-nominated filmmaker and his star unveiled new footage from Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures’ epic before an audience full of “Dune” devotees and press in Los Angeles. The global Imax fan event was simulcast in Chicago, Dallas, Toronto, Montreal, London, Berlin, Mexico City and Abu Dhabi. The trailer and an extended clip from the film will be shown ahead of Imax 70mm screenings of “The Odyssey.”
“Dune: Part Three” sees Chalamet return as Paul Atreides, continuing the story after his ascent to power at the end of “Part Two.” Inspired by Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune Messiah,” the action takes place 17 years after the events of the previous film and explores the consequences of Paul’s rule as emperor. And things are getting…dark. Really, really dark. As lovers of the first film know, Paul is blessed with visions of the future, but his mind has grown clouded since assuming control of the galaxy.
“The future has a way of talking to me,” Paul confesses. “I can’t see what’s ahead.”
And Paul has a new adversary in Robert Pattinson’s Scytale, a shapeshifter who wants to dethrone the emperor. “We plan to strike the core of imperial power,” Scytale says. Making it clear that he wants to pull off nothing short of “regime change.”
The trailer also highlights Zendaya as Fremen warrior Chani, whose romance with Paul has grown complicated with his marriage to Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh). She now wants a child.
There’s also plenty of Duncan Idaho, the fearsome warrior who died defending Paul and his mother (Rebecca Ferguson), and who has been resurrected as a ghola. He’s sent as a “gift” to Paul by Scytale. In one sequence, the ghola version of Duncan has a telling exchange with Paul.
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Duncan: I think you’re way beyond redemption.
Paul: Why are you here ?
Duncan: To deliver a peace proposal?
Paul: Peace is a good thing. Why should I refuse?
Duncan: Because it’s meant to destroy you.
Villeneuve previously described the film as a tonal shift from the earlier entries, noting that while the first installment was more contemplative and the second functioned as a war movie, the third is “more action-packed and tense.” He has also called “Dune: Part Three” his “most personal” of the trilogy, emphasizing the emotional core of Paul and Chani’s relationship as it evolves under mounting political and personal pressure.
And Paul certainly seems more shaken, less strident than in the previous films, having unleashed a wave of intergalactic bloodletting. “Forgive me for all I’ve done,” Paul says as the teaser ends.
In a Q&A following the trailer’s debut, Chalamet discussed how Paul’s moral crisis is teased in the books and part of what Herbert wanted to say about the corruptive influence of power by offering “a warning tale” about “charismatic leaders.”
“I read somewhere that it’s why he wrote ‘Messiah’ as a follow-up [because] people mistook Paul as a classic hero,” Chalamet said. “And he wanted to warn the world what can happen when people blindly follow leaders, and that even the good can be corrupted.”
Chalamet also elaborated on Paul and Chani’s strained relationship after his betrayal and marriage to another woman. “In the third film, it’s sort of Denis’ mastery, weaving in story lines that weren’t explicit in the book, and perhaps I would say Denis took the most creative liberty, but it really ties the story together,” he said. “And Zendaya, as you can see in [the new trailer], gives such a fantastic performance.”
Returning cast members include Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem and Pugh, whose role as Princess Irulan expands in the new film. Anya Taylor-Joy also reprises her role as Alia Atreides, who becomes a devoted follower of her brother. (“She’s breathtaking, and she is unbelievable in this movie,” Chalamet said. “That’s not media hyperbole. She is actually terrifying and amazing.”) New additions to the cast include not only Pattinson but also Isaach de Bankolé as Paul’s former Fedaykin death commando.
As talented as the “Dune” ensemble is, Chalamet reserved his highest praise for their leader, Villeneuve, praising him for his dedication and steady hand in helming the trilogy.
“He could’ve taken years in between these projects. Instead, he buckled in, and we got it done right away,” Chalamet said of the filmmaker. “I am a huge fan of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy and I can’t imagine the last time someone knocked out three things so consecutively. I am so grateful for Denis. In Denis we trust.”
One of the questions submitted by an audience member in Dallas asked the pair to think back to 2019 and give their younger selves some advice about setting out on this journey.
“I would tell myself to savor it,” Chalamet said, noting “how rare it is to work on something of a high artistic level.”
“Sleep as much as you can,” Villeneuve quipped, before adding that bringing the trilogy to screens had been a decade well spent. “It was the privilege of my life to work with all of you,” he said, turning to Chalamet.
To wrap up the global event, Chalamet revealed that, in each theater, an audience member would find an envelope under their seats for a private screening of “Dune: Part Three” when the film debuts in theaters on Dec. 18, so the fan and their friends could watch Villeneuve bring his adaptation of Herbert’s saga to a close.
Watch the full trailer below:
From Variety US