The spice must flow. The dynamic first trailer is here for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, which brings a star-studded cast to a harsh desert planet where they juggle honour, power, and faith — and one young man’s fate could save or destroy them all.
The nearly three-minute trailer promises a gorgeous sci-fi saga, enhanced by Villeneuve’s fantastic direction and use of location shots and set pieces over CGI. See for yourself…
Based on the groundbreaking novel by Frank Herbert, this latest adaptation of Dune stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the young son of Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), a member of the Bene Gesserit order. The trailer — set to a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse” from composer Hans Zimmer — centres on Paul discussing his dreams and visions with the Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit (Charlotte Rampling), as he warns of a “crusade”…and she likewise warns of a disaster looming over their family. (Some more book details to follow, so feel free to skip if you’d like to go in fresh.)
Paul and his family have relocated to the desert planet of Arrakis, which is the source of a powerful spice called melange that is needed for interstellar travel. House Atreides has taken over the planet from House Harkonnen — led by the evil and terrifying Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), who’s vowed to get Arrakis back at any price. As we see in the trailer, this means sending his nephew Glossu (Dave Bautista) and his soldiers to “kill them.”
After the attack, Paul finds himself in the company of the Fremen, the original inhabitants of Arrakis who have learned how to survive and thrive despite the planet’s lack of water. They include tribe leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and the Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya); Paul forms a connection with the latter after seeing her in visions. As he learns the ways of the Fremen, the young man finds himself struggling to contain, control, or maybe even prevent his great and terrible destiny. Also, he comes across a giant worm — famously depicted in other versions — which looks freaking amazing.
Dune also stars Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa as Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho, two of Paul’s teachers and mentors who help him grow his abilities. Chang Chen plays Dr. Wellington Yueh, a doctor who’s been conditioned to never inflict harm. And Sharon Duncan-Brewster plays Dr. Liet Kynes, the lead ecologist on Arrakis and Chani’s mother. No word whether the baron’s younger nephew and heir Feyd-Rautha, who’s pretty much Paul’s evil twin, will be in the movie as no casting has been announced. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s being kept secret, as this movie focuses on the first half of Dune and Feyd doesn’t play a critical role until the second half of the book.
Dune is set to come out December 26 in Australia.