Dune: Part Two Writer Explains That Major Change to One Character

Dune: Part Two has been mesmerizing the movie world for a few weeks now, taking Frank Herbert's series of books to some grandiose new heights. Despite adapting some iconic moments and storylines from the source material, Dune: Part Two does deviate in others, including in the introduction of Alia Atredies (Anya Taylor-Joy), the younger sister of Paul Atredies (Timothée Chalamet). While Alia is born during the book's several-year time jump and plays a massive role in the final act as a young toddler, she is instead presented in Dune: Part Two as an unborn baby conversing with her mother Jessica Atredies (Rebecca Ferguson), as well as a flash-forward to her as an adult. In a recent interview with Inverse, Dune: Part Two co-writer Jon Spaihts spoke about that story decision, arguing that it was made for a handful of reasons.

"We were a little leery of that talking toddler, as a distraction in the middle of the film," Spaihts said. "That's a difficult thing to execute on film. To allow such a long time lapse inevitably would sort of cool the passions of Part One. If Duke Leto's death were years and years ago, then it would lessen the lingering trauma that all the characters were feeling. We wanted the heat of their passion to be fresh and their wounds to be fresh. It left Jessica talking to a kind of phantom inside her and walking through the Fremen world in an apparent madness, talking to someone who wasn't there. And we loved the drama of that. [Director] Denis [Villeneuve] was engaged by the visual challenge of representing this little premature adult in utero wrapped in pearly pink light and floating in a fluid."

Will There Be a Dune 3?

As fans of Herbert's books know, the grand narrative of Dune extends far beyond the events of the first book, which has led to a lot of speculation about whether or not Dune: Messiah could become the franchise's next film. Dune director Denis Villeneuve has teased that a script for Dune: Messiah exists, and that he is focusing on telling the best possible distillation of the source material.

"I'm working on four different screenplays -- I know that Dune: Messiah will be one of them, I don't know if it will be the next or the second next," Villeneuve shared in an interview earlier this year. "My job was to try to keep the spirit of Frank Herbert alive as much as possible -- the whole meaning of Dune becomes clear with Dune: Messiah."

What Is Dune: Part Two About?

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. 

The big-screen epic Dune: Part Two includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Léa Seydoux, with Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Denis Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Frank Herbert's iconic novel.