Dune: Part Two Stars Tease “Far From Finished Story”

One of the most buzzworthy and surprising blockbusters to come out this year might’ve been Dune, which finally brought to life Denis Villeneuve’s take on the Frank Herbert sci-fi novel. The star-studded film showcased the first half of Herbert’s source material, and left audiences curious and eager to see where the story goes next. In a recent interview with Deadline, two of the film’s stars — Chani actress Zendaya and Paul Atredies actor Timothee Chalamet — spoke about the anticipation surrounding the recently-announced sequel, as well as what fans can expect from the story that it has left to tell.

“Well, I can be there for longer, which is cool,” Zendaya said with a laugh. “I want to grow with the characters I play, and with the people that I get to learn from. Anybody who has read the books knows there’s so much more to explore and deal with. What was cool for me having not been around for much of the first shoot was getting to see the movie from a completely fresh perspective, because I hadn’t seen the sets and the scenes for most of the movie. And watching it felt like just the beginning of this story.”

“We were ready to [go back] back then [when we wrapped Part One],” Chalamet added. “This story is far from finished. These characters are far from their end points. It’s a dream come true to get to work with Denis once on a movie of this size. And it’s certainly a marathon and not a sprint, so you have to pace yourself. But you don’t want to be weary of having fun. Certainly, in the project I’m working on now [Paul King’s Wonka], I’m learning even more than you don’t have to suffer all day at work. How lucky are we to get to do this?”

In terms of when the sequel could begin production, Villeneuve hinted that it might not be until this time next year, at the very earliest.

“It’s fantastic news, but it’s also kind of a burden,” Villeneuve said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “The good news is that a lot of the work has been done already regarding design, casting, locations and writing. So we’re not starting from scratch. It’s not a long period of time, but I will try to face that challenge because it’s important for me that the audience sees Part Two as soon as possible. It’s not a sequel where it’s another episode or another story with the same characters. It actually has direct continuity to the first movie. It’s the second part of the big huge movie that I’m trying to do. So the sooner the better.

“That’s too soon,” the filmmaker added. “We still have a lot of work to do. It’d probably be more towards fall, and even that would be fast. (Laughs.)”

Are you excited for Dune: Part Two? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!