‘Dune 3’ Trailer Breakdown: Denis Villeneuve Promises a ‘More Action-Packed and More Tense’ Finale

Only one day after the Academy Awards, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures showed a select audience the first trailer for “Dune: Part Three,” the final entry in what’s become an Oscar-friendly franchise. TheWrap was in that audience, and we’ve got what you need to know about one of the most anticipated films of the year.

“‘Dune Messiah’ is a book that’s by far probably my favorite book of the series. It’s a very dark book, beautiful book,” director Denis Villeneuve said on Monday. “It’s one of my most personal films, if not my most personal film, so it’s a film that is very close to me.”

A day before the teaser’s official release to the public, Villeneuve attended a trailer launch event where he spoke about the finale of his “Dune” trilogy. There, the filmmaker revealed key details about the production — including the return of composer Hans Zimmer and the difference in tone and scale between this film and the previous two.

“If the first movie was more of a contemplation, like a movie of a boy exploring a new world, and the second one being a war movie, this one is a thriller,” Villeneuve said. “It’s a more action-packed and more tense film, more muscular than the two others, I will say.”

The trailer certainly promises big action, much of it only alluded to in Frank Herbert’s chamber drama epilogue novel, “Dune Messiah.” Scenes include now-Emperor Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Fremen warrior Stilgar (Javier Bardem) colonizing far-off planets, as well as a fight involving Chani (Zendaya) atop a sandworm.

Before this action, the trailer starts on a quieter note, with Paul and Chani (at odds at the end of “Dune: Part Two”) discussing what they will name their potential child: Ghanima if it’s a girl and Leto if it’s a boy. Villeneuve called this relationship central to the finale of his trilogy.

“It’s about the story of Paul and Chani, them struggling with their relationship, having the burden and incredible pressure from the world around them, and Paul having to find a way out of this cycle of violence,” he said. “There’s something about the way their love endures time and the way their relationship evolves, that story, that relationship of both characters, that’s very personal to me.”

Villeneuve clarified that “Dune: Part Three” takes place 17 years after the previous film. This is longer than the 12-year gap between books, no doubt to account for Anya Taylor-Joy’s Alia, not yet born at the end of “Dune: Part Two” and featured prominently in the new trailer praying with Paul (who appears to provide the vocals for the teaser’s music) and professing to an amassed group of Atreides followers and pilgrims.

During the Q&A, Villeneuve surprised the audience by bringing Zendaya, Bardem, Taylor-Joy and new cast member Robert Pattinson out to speak about the film. Florence Pugh also chimed in via video message, asking Zendaya if their two characters had buried the hatchet following their dramatic conclusion at the end of “Dune: Part Two.”

“We said the last time on the press tour we only got like one scene together and we were far away, and I was like, ‘I hope we get more,'” Zendaya said. “I don’t want to tease anything, but she’s absolutely phenomenal, and you guys will just have to see for yourselves what happens, because it’s quite the journey.”

Zendaya also has quite the connection to Pattinson, with the pair both appearing in “Dune: Part Three,” “The Drama” and “The Odyssey” all in one year. Pattinson remarked that he asked Zendaya, “How do I get in one of those ‘Dune’ movies?,” while on the set of “The Drama” before getting added to the cast as Scytale, an antagonist and shapeshifting Tleilaxu Face Dancer.

“He’s an unusual character in the book. I mean, you can’t really tell whose side he’s on, which is what makes him very interesting … I wouldn’t say he’s kind of a conventional ‘bad guy,’ as such. I don’t think he is. He might even be a good guy. Who knows? I will also find out when I see the movie,” Pattinson laughed. “It’s an extremely fun character to play, and the look for it is quite extraordinary.”

Jason Momoa, featured prominently in the trailer, previously portrayed Paul’s warrior mentor Duncan Idaho in “Dune: Part One” before being killed off. Momoa chimed in via video, appropriately asking why Villeneuve killed him off and how he was back for the new film.

“Paul is struggling with his identity, and I think that kind of strong Atreides figure coming back from the past will have a tremendous impact. That’s what I will say,” Villeneuve said. “And I will say he’s fully back.”

“Dune: Part Three” releases exclusively in theaters and IMAX on Dec. 18.

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