Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two has finally arrived.
The cast, with glittering new additions Austin Butler and Florence Pugh joining original stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, descended on London’s Leicester Square — sans the blue contact lenses — on Thursday night. Aptly, the remnants of a sandstorm covered the red carpet at one of the biggest premieres the entertainment hotspot has ever seen.
To the dismay of loyal fans, the release of the sci-fi thriller’s second installment was pushed back from its initial date in November, but with the industry-wide actors strike now a distant memory, Chalamet — fresh from the sugar-sweet success of Wonka — led the star-studded cast back to Arrakis. United with the Fremen and seeking revenge against the enemies who slaughtered his family in the sequel, Chalamet’s Paul Atreides is up to the challenge of possibly saving the universe — and Villeneuve believes there’s no actor better suited to take him on (or ride a giant sandworm).
“Timothée has the charisma, the aristocratic features, the intelligence in the eyes, the maturity to portray [him]. I see nobody else that could have done it,” the director told The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet.
It’s a character the beloved star has grown into. He was only 23 years old on set when he shot the first film. Now, he arrives at the premiere at 28. The gap, it turns out, works perfectly.
“The first movie was really following a boy that was trying to find his own identity, and a boy trying to survive the decisions of adults,” Villeneuve explained. “The second one is a boy that becomes a man and starts to take fate into his own hands.”
As succinctly as Villeneuve summarized the plot, the project was far from simple. The operation for this sequel was “a huge machine” Souheila Yacoub said. The Swiss-born actress stars as Fremen warrior Shishhakli, opposite Zendaya, who continues in her role as Paul’s enigmatic love interest Chani.
“It’s unbelievably big, there is about 800 to 900 people on set. I remember at the wrap party, I met people,” Yacoub said, revering Villeneuve and his consistently calm directorial style.
“It’s so big, and he stays calm every day, and he has every reason to lose his mind but he never did,” she continued. “He’s sweet, and he loves Dune so much. It was his childhood book so he brings joy on set. He was like a kid, so happy. When it was hard, he made us realize how lucky we are to do this job.”
Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Yacoub spent most of filming with Zendaya, who arrived on the carpet in head-to-toe robot armor, her body glimmering against the makeshift desert. It was only right she appeared as Beyonce’s Renaissance played over the speakers (an album notoriously droid-esque in its visuals).
The two connected instantly, Yacoub said — and not just over their shared enjoyment of poking fun at Chalamet. “It was really important to me that we would really get along,” Yacoub said of her friendship with Zendaya. “Since day one, everything connected. We just laughed and loved to make fun of Timothée — in a good way, we love him, I love him.”
Pugh, making her Dune debut as Princess Irulan, swept up the sand with a shimmering purple hooded dress-cloak hybrid on the red carpet. She confessed to bringing her Granny Pat as her date, a detail met with cooing noises from the hundreds of fans in attendance.
She stars alongside Butler (in the film swapping his usual messy mane for the signature hairless Harkonnen head), Josh Brolin (reprising his role as faithful soldier Gurney Halleck) and Rebecca Ferguson, who returns as Lady Jessica. Léa Seydoux also enters the cast as Lady Margot Fenring, and Anya Taylor-Joy made a surprise appearance on the carpet, seemingly confirming rumors that she is a part of the new film as well.
With a Hans Zimmer score, fans can expect a feast for the eyes and ears come March 1. They’re encouraged to see it in theaters, if only, Pugh said, for the vibrations in the seat.
