Denis Villeneuve’s Dune was highly regarded by most fans and critics, and it if there was any major problem that people had, it was that the movie only told half the story. The good news is that the Dune sequel is on the way, and Timothée Chalamet is ready to go for the next movie, and he says one thing that has changed is that he’s a lot more confident going into Dune: Part Two, which echoes his character, Paul Atreides.
Timothée Chalamet recently interviewed his Bones and All co-star Taylor Russell for Homme Girls, and in the conversation, they talked about actors revisiting old works because something about the story or play spoke to them in a certain way. Chalamet likened it to going back to play Paul Atreides again for the Dune sequel, because in the first movie, both actor and character were overwhelmed by the story, but now, both are more confident. Chalamet said…
It’s fascinating. And it’s something you don’t get to do with movies. Revisit. Actually though, I’m feeling that with Dune. Speaking about how cycles match life. I was younger when I did it the first time and was kind of blindsided by how big that movie was. And now, as Paul Atreides becomes more sure on his heels, I feel more sure on my heels, too.
Timothée Chalamet has become quite the star in recent years, but prior to Dune his star had been on the rise thanks to good roles in smaller films, projects like Ladybird or Little Women. As such, it’s easy to imagine that a massive science fiction epic like Dune was a potentially intimidating production.
Similarly, Paul Atreides as a character is a young man who becomes part of political machinations on a galactic scale, and while he didn’t go looking for any of it, he has little choice but to take his place within the political game.
The place where the first Dune ended is about the point where Paul has accepted what he must do and what his role in this story will be. Anybody who has read Frank Herbert’s original novel knows that Paul does gain significant confidence in himself and his decisions. And it sounds like Timothée Chalamet is also more confident. Having made the first movie, the second is apparently much less intimidating. Of course, there are several members of the Dune: Part Two cast who weren’t there for the first one, so they may feel like he did back then.
Chalamet is in much higher demand now and with upcoming roles in movies like Wonka, it seems likely that the larger scale movies are going to become much more the norm for him. Dune Part Two is currently in production with a release date set in November 2023.
