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Watch a New Trailer for 'Dune,' the Sci-Fi Epic Starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya

Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

You know Dune: Frank Herbert's 1965 novel about royal houses wrestling for power (in space, with worms). The notoriously un-adaptable novel is once again being adapted, and this time, it could actually be good. Here's what we know so far.

The movie will be released October 22.

Dune was originally slated to debut in theaters on December 18, 2020—but due to the pandemic, and the accompanying widespread closure of movie theaters, it was rescheduled. Now, the movie has an official release date—October 22, 2021, when it will air both in theaters and on HBO Max. According to Variety, the movie will premiere to a select audience on September 3 at the Venice Film Festival.

There's a new trailer.

In July 2021, Warner Brothers released yet another trailer for the movie, alongside the original trailer above. Watch the new sneak peek here.

The cast is stacked.

Timothée Chalamet stars as Paul Atreides, the son of the Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) and his concubine, the Bene Gesserit-trained Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). The story begins as the family move from their lush home planet, Caladan, to rule another: the worm-filled desert that is Arrakis, otherwise known as Dune.

The Duke's trusted advisers, Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho, and played by Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa, respectively, while Javier Bardem portrays Stilgar, a leader of Arrakis's native Fremen, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster will appear as Dr. Liet-Kynes, an ecologist with a foot in both worlds (and a character that Herbert had originally written as a man). Zendaya is taking on the role of Chani, Paul's love interest.

Joining them are Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as his nephew Beast Rabban, and Charlotte Rampling as the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam.

Photo credit: CHIA BELLA JAMES
Photo credit: CHIA BELLA JAMES

A sci-fi auteur is running the show.

Denis Villeneuve, he of Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 fame, is directing Dune—and he had a major condition for signing on. "I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie," Villeneuve told Vanity Fair in May 2020. "The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details." That's right: there's already a Dune 2 on the horizon (though it may be pretty far off).

He also insisted that they shoot in the actual desert, and built as many sets as possible, rather than relying entirely on CGI. "My argument is that they didn’t shoot Jaws in a swimming pool," Villeneuve explained during a digital press event for the trailer's debut. "The title is Dune, and we needed to be in the real environment, so we would be inspired by the infinity."

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