Dune: Part Two release date, trailer, plot and latest news for sequel

So, how can you watch Dune: Part Two? Read on for everything you need to know.

Dune: Part Two release date

Dune: Part Two was released in cinemas on Friday 1st March 2024.

The film is getting an exclusive theatrical release, but will eventually be released on Max, though we don't have an official streaming release date yet.

While Dune: Part Two is set to complete Villeneuve's adaptation of the original book, that doesn't necessarily mean the film franchise will end there, as the director has also suggested an interest in tackling the sequel novel.

"There is Dune’s second book, The Messiah of Dune [aka Dune: Messiah], which could make an extraordinary film," he told CBC Radio Canada.

"I always saw that there could be a trilogy; after that, we’ll see. It’s years of work; I can’t think of going further than that."

The prequel series The Sisterhood has also been confirmed for HBO Max, with Villeneuve serving as executive producer.

Who stars in Dune: Part Two?

There will be returnees and new characters in the Dune: Part Two cast.

Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson will return as Paul Atreides and his mother, Lady Jessica, who narrowly escaped execution in the first film.

They found refuge in a Fremen tribe that counts Stilgar (Skyfall's Javier Bardem) and Chani (Spider-Man: No Way Home's Zendaya) among its number, so expect both characters to reappear in the sequel.

The brutal destruction of House Atreides left the fate of some of its closest allies up in the air, but we will be seeing actors Josh Brolin (Gurney Halleck) too.

We will also see returns for the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), his nephew Count Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista) and the Emperor's truthsayer, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling).

Skarsgård recently spoke to RadioTimes.com about how he didn't let the book influence his portrayal of the character.

"I don't care about [the lore]," he said. "I read the book. And of course [Baron Harkonnen] was, as he is in the book, he was useless to me, because he talks a lot."

He continued: "And you don't want a talker, you want someone who's threatening and silent and very dangerous. So having played him like he was in the book would have defied the purpose."

On the other hand, some major deaths will take several big characters out of the running for now, most notably Oscar Isaac's Duke Leto, Jason Momoa's Duncan Idaho and Sharon Duncan-Brewster's Dr Liet-Kynes.

In the supporting cast, neither the traitorous Dr Wellington Yueh (Chang Chen) nor Piter De Vries (The Suicide Squad's David Dastmalchian) made it out alive.

It's a good thing too because Villeneuve has some important characters to introduce in Dune: Part Two.

Elvis star Austin Butler will portray Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the psychopathic, charismatic and dangerous younger nephew and heir of the twisted Baron.

In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, director Villeneuve explained he "needed a fearless actor" to play Feyd-Rautha.

"Someone that will be willing to go just close to… not too far but just close to it," he said. "Someone that will not be judging himself; someone that will love to take risks. And someone that, of course, will have the necessary charisma - I needed an actor with a lot of sex appeal.

"I needed a playboy, I needed someone that… I needed a rockstar, and we've seen Austin has done that in his previous role."

Hollywood legend Christopher Walken will play the much-mentioned Emperor Shaddam IV Corrino, while Oscar-nominee Florence Pugh will play his eldest daughter, Princess Irulan Corrino, an academic and a woman trained in Bene Gesserit ways.

It has also been confirmed that No Time To Die actress Léa Seydoux has been cast as Lady Margot, a member of the Bene Gesserit and a close friend of the Emperor.

Souheila Yacoub has also been cast as a gender-swapped version of the Fremen character Shishakli.

Another character includes Paul's unborn sister, Alia Atreides, who will likely play a major role in the sequel and was glimpsed in visions in the first film. She will be played by Anya Taylor-Joy, whose casting was kept secret until the premiere.

Although actor Stephen McKinley Henderson, who played Thufir Hawat, a Mentat aide to Duke Leto Atreides in the first movie, returned for the film, his scenes weren't included in the final cut.

In a recent interview with Screen Crush, Villeneuve explained that he made the "bold choice to make a Bene Gesserit adaptation, and to focus the movie on that sisterhood".

Actor Tim Blake Nelson, who filmed scenes as an undisclosed character, was also cut from the film.

• Read more: Does Dune have a post-credits scene?

Dune: Part Two trailers

There have been three trailers released for Dune: Part Two, with the first and second landing last year.

The third and final trailer arrived in December, and is available to watch below:

We can't take more trailers, we just need the film now!

Dune: Part Two plot spoilers

*Warning: potential spoilers for Dune: Part Two*

The official plot synopsis for Dune: Part Two has been released by Warner Bros and Legendary.

It reads: "This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.

"Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavours to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee."

The first Dune novel is split up into three parts – titled Dune, Mua'dib, and The Prophet respectively – with the 2021 film adaptation being an abridged version of the first two, meaning the story is far from complete.

The final section of Dune is in many ways the most action-packed, as with all his complex world-building out of the way, Herbert can put more emphasis on driving his story forward.

Picking up where the first film left off, Part Two will begin with Paul and Jessica settling into their new life among the Fremen tribe Sietch Tabr.

After experiencing vivid visions of Chani for some time before arriving in Arrakis, the connection between herself and Paul only grows deeper, as they become a couple.

Meanwhile, Jessica takes on the respected Bene Gesserit role of Reverend Mother for the Fremen she lives among, but doing so will require her to undergo a painful trial that threatens the life of her unborn child.

As Paul quickly rises through the ranks of the Fremen to become their leader, the stage is set for an epic confrontation between his forces and those of the Harkonnens and the Imperium who so brutally ousted them.

It seems like the same would be true of Villeneuve's adaptation, as the filmmaker alluded to hitting the ground running in a second movie and promising even more spectacle than the first.

"If such a thing as Dune: Part Two happens, I will say that it’s going to be an insane playground for me because I had the task to explain this world to the audience," he told Variety. "Now it is explained, it means I can just have fun with cinema."

If you're wondering whether the film is a family watch, here is more information on Dune's age rating.

How many Dune films will there be?

As explained above, Villeneuve does not necessarily see his Dune film series ending with Part Two, having expressed interest in a trilogy incorporating Frank Herbert's second novel, Dune Messiah.

Now that the sequel has been greenlit, who knows? If Villeneuve gets his way we might see at least three films.

Additionally, there are a further four books after the initial two, although only the third includes the original central characters in prominent roles.

How many Dune books are there?

Frank Herbert wrote six Dune novels over 20 years. They are as follows:

• Dune (1965)
• Dune Messiah (1969)
• Children of Dune (1976)
• God Emperor of Dune (1981)
• Heretics of Dune (1984)
• Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)

Frank Herbert had hoped for future releases after the cliffhanger of his sixth instalment in the Dune series, but he died in 1986.

Herbert's son Brian Herbert and author Kevin J. Anderson later collaborated on a further series of novels, with the latest set for release in 2022. They are as follows:

Prelude to Dune series:

• House Atreides (1999)
• House Harkonnen (2000)
• House Corrino (2001)

Legends of Dune series:

• The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
• The Machine Crusade (2003)
• The Battle of Corrin (2004)

The following two novels were seen as sequels to Frank Herbert's original six novels and conclude the central series.

• Hunters of Dune (2006)
• Sandworms of Dune (2007)

Heroes of Dune series:

• Paul of Dune (2008)
• The Winds of Dune (2009)

Great Schools of Dune series:

• Sisterhood of Dune (2012)
• Mentats of Dune (2014)
• Navigators of Dune (2016)

The Caladan Trilogy series:

• Dune: The Duke of Caladan (2020)
• Dune: The Lady of Caladan (2021)
• Dune: The Heir of Caladan (2022)

See below for more on what happens in Frank Herbert's original Dune book sequels.

What happens in Dune: Messiah?

*Warning: Spoilers for Dune: Part Two**

Released in 1969, Dune: Messiah takes place 12 years after the events of Dune, where Paul Atreides – now known largely by his Fremen name Muad'Dib – has become the new Emperor and ruler of the Known Universe.

However, his worst fears have come true, as by deliberately shaping himself as a messiah figure to the Fremen people, he has driven them to embark on a bloody religious war across the known universe, in which 61 billion people have lost their lives.

Now, the political houses and organisations that he displaced during his ascent conspire together to bring him down, identifying his true love Chani as a weak spot ready to be exploited.

Other returning characters to feature in the second book include Paul's royal consort Princess Irulan Corrino, the scheming Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, and Paul's loyal Fremen ally Stilgar.

The novel also introduces the Spacing Guild navigator Edric, the shapeshifting face-dancer Scytale, and a character named Hayt who displays many similarities with the late Duncan Idaho...

What happens in Children of Dune?

*Warning: Spoilers for Children of Dune*

Children of Dune is the third novel in Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi series, which Villeneuve has yet to express an interest in adapting to film.

However, if there's an appetite for more Dune stories after the completion of his proposed trilogy, it's not hard to imagine Warner Bros pushing ahead with adaptations of the later books in the series.

Children of Dune sees another time-jump, this time moving on nine years from the events of Dune: Messiah, which saw Paul wander into the desert blind, leaving his two children in the care of the Fremen.

However, they are not safe, as Paul's sister Alia - now the Holy Imperial Regent - is envious of the twins' for they have inherited their father's prescient visions of the future, while the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild are scheming to take the children for their purposes.

This third entry in the Dune series sees a reduced role for Paul, as the focus shifts to his children, Prince Leto II Atreides and Princess Ghanima "Ghani" Atreides. At the same time, it also features a wildly different version of Arrakis, which has bloomed into a much more hospitable place.

However, this has come at the expense of the sandworms that inhabit it, putting the planet's spice production in peril.

Other returning characters to feature in the third book include Lady Jessica, Gurney Halleck, Princess Irulan Corrino, and Stilgar.

This book also introduces us to further members of House Corrino, including Irulan's younger sister Princess Wenscicia and her son Prince Farad'n.

Children of Dune was previously adapted into a three-part miniseries by the Syfy Channel, featuring James McAvoy and Susan Sarandon in the cast.

Dune: Part Two is in cinemas from 1st March. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guideto see what's on tonight.

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