The first part of director Denis Villeneuve adaptation of Dune features several prominent actors in surprisingly minor roles, but thankfully, Dune: Part Two will see some step to the forefront, including the hugely talented Academy Award winner Javier Bardem. Speaking with Vanity Fair, Bardem reveals that he knew his role in Dune would amount to very little screentime, but believed any role was worth it to work with Denis Villeneuve.
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Thankfully, Villeneuve did inform Bardem at the time that, should Dune 2 get the greenlight, he would have a much bigger role to play. Bardem stars in Dune as Stilgar, the leader of the Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr, and with Dune: Part Two set to further explore the intricacies of the Fremen and the planet Arrakis, it makes sense that Bardem will step into the spotlight for the upcoming sequel.
“Denis Villeneuve called me and said, ‘I want to sit down with you,’ and when Denis Villeneuve wants to sit down with you, you go there and sit down, and listen. And he said, ‘I have a small role, if there is such a thing as the second part of the book the role will be bigger [in Dune 2]. And I would love you to do it if you want to.’ And I said, ‘Of course I want to. I don’t care if there’s a second movie or not. I don’t care about how big or small the role [is]. I love what you do as a director.’ And then it happens, as it usually happens, really, that those great directors are also great people.”
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Released earlier this year, Dune features an all-star cast alongside Javier Bardem, including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, and Jason Momoa. Adapted from Frank Herbert’s seminal novel, Dune hurls audiences into the far future, as Duke Leto Atreides accepts stewardship of the dangerous desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the most valuable substance in the universe, “melange,” AKA “the spice.” Though Leto knows the opportunity is an intricate trap set by his enemies, he takes his concubine Lady Jessica, young son and heir Paul, and most trusted advisors to Arrakis, where a bitter betrayal leads Paul and Jessica to the Fremen, natives of Arrakis who live in the deep desert.
Following some concern that Dune: Part Two would never see the light of day, the sequel has now been confirmed, with production eyeing to begin filming from July 2022. As well as giving more screentime to Javier Bardem’s Fremen leader, the plan for Dune 2 is to elevate another of the first movie’s minor characters, Zendaya’s Chani, to one of the primary protagonists. “I can’t wait to shoot the second part of Dune to get [Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya] back together,” Villeneuve revealed. “Knowing that in the next chapter Zendaya will be the protagonist of the story.”
Sadly, audiences will have to be patient, with Dune: Part Two scheduled to be released in October 2023.
