Fresh off the release of the character posters for Dune: Part Three, Warner Bros. and Legendary have followed up with a highly anticipated trailer drop, hinting at a grim, epic end to director Denis Villeneuve’s film trilogy, set against beautiful cinematography.
The two-and-a-half-minute clip opens with Timothée Chalamet’s Paul and Zendaya’s Chani discussing baby names: Ghanima for a girl, as “she would need to be strong like her mother,” and Leto for a boy, so he would have “the wisdom of his grandfather” (Dune fans, you know what this means).
Amid flashes of the imperial rebellion waged in Paul’s name, the blonde-haired Scytale, played by Robert Pattinson, makes his debut, while all major characters – including Bardem’s Fremen leader Stilgar, Taylor-Joy’s Alia Atreides, Paul’s loyal little sister, Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica, and Florence Pugh’s Empress Irulan – are confirmed to return.
The closing moments see Paul, now sporting a buzz cut, addressing a cheering crowd from the top of a plinth, before facing off against an opponent in the desert. “I’m not afraid to die,” he says in voice-over with a dagger in hand, “But I must not die. Yet.”
Dune: Part Three, based on Frank Herbert’s novel Dune: Messiah, is set 17 years after the second film (per Variety) in the wake of the Harkonnens’ defeat. It chronicles the events of Paul’s life, as he embraces his role as the Fremen’s messiah and initiates a holy war, including marrying Irulan for political power.
The official title of the threequel was first announced last July, and is expected to be Villeneuve’s final outing for the franchise. The filmmaker also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Brian K. Vaughan, with renowned composer Hans Zimmer handling the score. Other notable cast members include Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam; Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, who returns from the first movie; Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot; and franchise newcomers Isaach De Bankolé (Farok), Nakoa-Wolf Momoa (Leto II Atreides), and Ida Brooke (Ghanima Atreides).
Dune: Part Three hits theatres on 18 December.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
