The first official trailer for Dune: Part Two dropped on Wednesday and fans were clearly pleased with what they saw. The two-minute trailer shows returning stars including Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya as well as new stars including Florence Pugh and Austin Butler. So far, it seems like the sequel will live up to the hype established in Dune back in 2021.
Dune: Part Two adapts the second half of Frank Herbert’s novel, meaning it will have a lot more climactic moments and build on the drama established in the first movie. That comes through in the trailer, along with a hint of the action and increased scope. The trailer gives us hints of Paul (Chalamet) and Chani’s (Zendaya) romance and Paul’s arguments with his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) about his destiny. It also shows some exciting glimpses of the enemies in the shadows โ particularly Austin Butler as the heir to House Harkonnen, Feyd-Rautha.
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The style and cinematography of Dune: Part Two surprised some fans for being distinct even from the first movie in some ways. Many are predicting this will be smash hit and perhaps even an award contender. Here’s a look at how the fandom reacted to the new trailer on Wednesday.
Visual Style
Elements of the visual style employed in this trailer surprised and delighted many fans, including the use of black and white in some scenes and new color palettes in others. It’s clear that the aesthetic here won’t be an exact copy of the first movie.
Princess
The trailer gave us only a few glimpses of Pugh as Princess Irulan, but fans are ready to extrapolate what they’ve seen of this mysterious and beloved character. Because Irulan is a historian and author with excerpts in the books, some fans suggested that Pugh should narrate a new audiobook edition of Dune.
Memes
As with the first movie, this trailer inspired some jokes and memes online that went surprisingly far considering how niche they were.
Legacy
Fans marveled at the burgeoning legacy of director Denis Villeneuve, who was already becoming a film legend before taking on this passion project. After seeing the care he poured into this movie, many fans expect him to go down in history among the greats.
Spoilers
Some fans felt the trailer gave away too much โ specifically when it comes to the scene where Paul mounts a sand worm for the first time. Others argued that, for as much as the trailer showed, there is likely more in the movie itself that will be saved until the big premiere.
Cast
Chalamet and Zendaya were active on Instagram on Wednesday promoting the trailer, and fans were delighted by their lighthearted yet enthusiastic banter.
Oscars
It will be months before the movie is out, yet many fans are already predicting that it will be an award contender, matching or exceeding the number of Oscars won by its predecessor.
Butler’s Voice
This trailer gave us our first look at Butler in character and it was striking, but many fans were holding out for a clip of his voice. Butler became infamous for adopting his accent from Elvis in real life for months after the movie’s release. Fans wondered if Feyd-Rautha would now sound like the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Dormant Fandom
Finally, many fans joked about the Dune fandom reawakening after a brief hibernation between movies. It will undoubtedly become even more active in the months to come. Dune: Part Two premieres on Nov. 3, 2023 only in theaters.