Hello everyone, in this quick news bite I’d like to provide an update to a previous video I made
regarding the sequel to Dune and actress Zendaya’s rumored leading role. In that video,
for which leave a link in the description below, I read Villeneuve’s comments that Zendaya’s
character Chani would quote “be THE protagonist of the story, in Dune part 2” Many news sites and
channels covering the news took this to mean that the director would be in fact swapping
out Timothee Chalamet’s leading role in favor of placing Zendaya as the focus of the story.
This led to a lot of reaction and speculation online including some understandable backlash from
fans who felt that this, if true, would constitute an unnecessary change to the source material.
For all intents and purposes, Paul is undisputedly the main character of Frank Herbert’s first two
books. As I’ve said previously, when I first read Villeneuve’s comments,
I wasn’t really surprised as I suspected that he meant that she would be A protagonist in the film
instead of THE protagonist. This interview was done with an italian magazine so at the time
I speculated that the meaning might have been distorted in translation.
Now this speculation appears to have been confirmed by two articles, the first released
by IndieWire in which some important context has been added to Villeneuve’s statement which has
been independently translated by IGN to read “I am honored to present two such explosive talents on
screen [Chalamet and Zendaya] and I can’t wait to shoot the second part of ‘Dune’ to get them back
together. Knowing that in the next chapter Zendaya will be the [female] protagonist of the story.”
This clarification should serve to relieve many fans of the series who were worried
that the second part of Villeneuve’s two part adaptation would stray too far from
Frank Herbert’s original novel. Now instead it appears that Chalamet will remain as the focus
of Dune part 2 with Zendaya serving as the leading lady. Also after this clarification,
Villeneuve’s expressed excitement to see Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya working together on screen
makes much more sense as it seems they will both be in the spotlight for much of the film.
In many ways, Frank Herbert’s Dune can be likened to the Lord of the Rings
as they both very much present an ensemble cast of characters that each have a meaningful part
to play in the outworking of the story. That being said, when adapting a book to screen,
certain changes and omissions are required to facilitate the flow of the story in order to
adjust to the new medium. As such, in order to fit everything in, certain characters will not be as
fleshed out on screen as they are in the books. But it appears with these clarified comments
that it is less likely that Villeneuve will omit significant parts of the story that involve Chani,
wanting to instead showcase her character as the main
female protagonist. In the context of the story, this makes total sense as the characters of Paul
and Chani are often side by side as the events of the second half of Herbert’s first book unfold.
Chani proves instrumental in helping Paul to learn the ways of the desert
and of the fremen people. And really for the rest of his life in the Dune saga,
she proves to be the anchor that keeps him grounded as his prescience continues
to distort the lines between the future possibilities and the present reality.
But I’m curious to know what you think of this news. Are you relieved to hear
this clarification of the director’s comments about the sequel? Or are you disappointed? Let
me know your thoughts in the comments section below. I hope you enjoyed this video, leave a
like if you did and be sure to subscribe for more Dune and other sci-fi and fantasy news and lore.
Thank you all so much for your support and as always, have a very nerdy day.