Dune 2: Release date, cast, plot, trailer, & more

Here’s everything we know about Dune 2, officially titled Dune: Part Two, from its release date to cast, plot, and more.

It may be hard to believe that Dune: Part One was released in theaters just two years, but it’s almost time to return to the desert planet of Arrakis to join the fight for the universe’s most sought after resource. 

The Dune movies are based on a series of novels by Frank Hebert, with the first one being released in 1965. The series spans 15 novels and covers a universe in the distant future ruled over by an emperor-led government. Dune: Part One and Two cover the events of the first novel.

So, let’s dive into everything we know about the highly anticipated Dune 2, from its release date to cast, plot, and more.

Dune 2 release date: When does it come out?

Dune 2, aka Dune: Part Two, is set to hit theaters on November 3, 2023.

The film was originally supposed to premiere on November 17, 2023, but was pushed up by two weeks when Marvel announced that its Blade reboot would be pushed back and released in 2024. Dune: Part Two then took the spot in early November, which worked out perfectly as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to release on November 17 and the two highly anticipated films would’ve clashed in theaters.

Unlike its predecessor, Dune: Part Two will not be shown at the Venice Film Festival, as reported by IndieWire. However, a festival run is not completely out of the question, especially since the Cannes Film Festival will occur at the end of May.

Dune 2 cast: Who’s in it?

The cast of Dune 2 sees a bunch of returning A-list actors while also adding some familiar faces to its ranks. Check out the full list below:

• Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides
• Zendaya as Chani
• Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan
• Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
• Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV
• Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica
• Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck
• Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
• Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban
• Javier Bardem as Stilgar
• Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot

While Chalamet had a large role in Part One as he was one of the main characters, Zendaya will be stepping up in the sequel as her character will have much more do. Chalamet’s character mostly saw her in visions during the first movie, but the two will finally embark on a real relationship in Dune: Part Two.

FIRST LOOK: The love story between Zendaya’s Chani and Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides is the “epicenter” of #Dune: Part Two.🔗: https://t.co/cAWV6AWpN6 pic.twitter.com/VhQ5YMHfPm

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) April 27, 2023

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Dune director Denis Villeneuve explained that, while Part Two is a “war epic action movie,” he didn’t want the love story between Chalamet and Zendaya be lost amongst the battles. He went onto state: “I kept saying to my crew, ‘The most important thing is that spark, that relationship between both of these characters.’ If we don’t capture that, if we don’t have that onscreen, there’s no movie. The epicenter of the story is this relationship.”

Chalamet echoed Villeneuve’s sentiments in the same interview as he referred to Zendaya’s character as “a key to his own.” He explained further, “[The] relationship [with] Chani sort of becomes a moral compass. She’s really the humanizing, grounding force to [the messianic prophecy that looms around his hero].”

Along with returning characters, there are some new faces amongst the cast. Two of the most notable additions are Florence Pugh and Austin Butler. Pugh has been cast as Princess Irulan, the daughter of the emperor who’s trying to help her father keep his power over the universe. And Butler will be playing Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the violent, sadistic nephew of Stellan Skarsgård’s character who’s hellbent on destroying Paul and his allies. It will be interesting to see how Pugh and Butler fit into this unique universe.

Dune 2 plot: What’s it about?

The plot of Dune 2 will follow the second half of Herbert’s books, but there won’t be spoilers in this summary.

After his family was torn apart at the end of Dune: Part One, Paul Atreides and his mother, Lady Rebecca, come into contact with Chani and the Fremen. The two factions work together in their fight to bring peace to Arrakis while fending off vicious attacks from their enemies, especially those from Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and his nephews.

As Herbert’s novel is a whopping 412-pages long, Villeneuve decided to split the novel into two parts because, while this isn’t the longest novel to get a film adaptation, the world within it is incredibly complex. Dune: Part One was used as a world-building vessel while Dune: Part Two will dive more into the social and political relationships between its extensive cast of characters.

Is there a trailer for Dune 2?

The trailer for Dune 2 was just released on May 3, 2023. Check it out below:

The trailer sees Paul Atreides (Chalamet) living amongst the Fremen and getting closer to Chani (Zendaya). We get a full on look at Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Butler) in all his bald head, no eyebrow having glory as Princess Irulan (Pugh) muses about the fall of House Arteides and questions if Paul could still be alive.

The biggest piece of the trailer, however, comes at the end when Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and Paul discuss Paul’s attempt to try to catch and ride a sand worm, a mode of transportation amongst the Fremen. In a moment of triumpht at the end of the trailer, Chani, Stilgar, and the Fremen watch as he tries and succeeds to ride it, as they play a big role in the war to come.

That’s everything we know about Dune 2 so far, but we’ll be sure to update this page as announcements roll out. In the meantime, check out our other upcoming movie hubs below:

Oppenheimer | Barbie | Saw 10 | Indiana Jones 5 | Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | Extraction 2 | The Conjuring 4 | Lethal Weapon 5 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse