Over the past few years, actor Timothée Chalamet has become a household name and bonafide movie star. While he did great work in acclaimed projects like Call Me By Your Name and Little Women, he became the lead of a blockbuster franchise with Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. And the director recently revealed how Chalamet evolve from the first Dune to Part Two.
The highly anticipated sci-fi sequel was originally going to arrive in November, but Dune: Part Two was pushed back as a result of the ongoing strikes. The first movie was a huge success, and moviegoers are eage to return to Arrakis. Denis Villeneuve spoke to GQ about Chalamet’s work on the franchise, saying:
For Part One, it was for Timothée his first big studio-movie experience. He had assurance, but I was feeling that he was kind of vulnerable, trying to find his way on a set like that, trying to find his focus and discovering how to protect his own bubble. And on Part Two, he came to set the first day and had learned so much between both movies about how to secure his focus and to own his space.
Points were made. Just like his character Paul Atreides comes to his power throughout the Dune movies, it looks like Timothée Chalamet did something similar IRL. And when it came to filming Part Two, he seemed much more comfortable being the first name on the call sheet for such a huge production. And I can’t wait to see how that translates to his performance.
While Timothée Chalamet worked on major movie projects like Lady Bird, the scale of the Dune movies was on another level entirely. Production for Villeneuve’s movies took place in locations like Abu Dhabi, and contain epic action sequences and sandworms. It would be understandable for Chalamet to have some nervous originally, but it sounds like he really got the hang of it for Part Two.
Dune: Part Two’s delay was a shock, given how many IMAX screens the project had reserved for its planned release this fall. Those eventually opened up for The Marvels, while the sequel will hit now hit theaters in March. But given how Dune 2’s cast is filled with young stars like Zendaya and Florence Pugh, it make sense that Warner Bros. would want them to be able to promote it. Although for now the SAG-AFTRA strike is still going.
The trailer for Dune: Part Two teases the all-out war that we’ll be seeing in the sci-fi blockbuster, with Chalamet’s character Paul even riding a sandworm. It should also be fascinating to see how new characters factor into the story, and how Zendaya’s Chani becomes a bigger character.
Dune: Part Two is currently expected to arrive in theaters on March 15th, 2024. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.