Zendaya’s absence from Denis Villeneuve’s Dune caused a stir when it was released in 2021. The actress, who plays the Fremen warrior Chani, was heavily involved in the marketing campaign, but she didn’t appear in the majority of the movie. Timothée Chalamet’s character Paul Atreides only sees her in a vision until the final ten minutes of the movie. But she does have the last say: This is just the beginning”
Although Chani isn’t given the final line of dialogue in Dune: Part Two, the film does conclude with a shot of her face. Villeneuve made a bold decision that simultaneously amplifies the impact of his movie and deviates from Frank Herbert’s book. Zendaya’s raw emotional portrayal makes Chani the story’s moral compass.
Director Denis Villeneuve Express To Make Dune Messiah In an Interview
Director Denis Villeneuve stated in a New York Times interview that he intends to adhere to Herbert’s objectives even if he deviates from his story. “Frank Herbert wanted the book to be a cautionary tale, a warning against charismatic religious leaders,” he stated. “He believed that people’s misinterpretations of his motives caused him to fail. To ensure that his views would be seen, he wrote Dune Messiah, an epilogue. Since the movie is more faithful to Frank’s goals, I believe it to be more tragic and dramatic than the novel.”
Villeneuve wants to eventually make Messiah. After all, if you don’t intend to use Anya Taylor-Joy, you don’t cast her for a short hallucinogenic cameo as the adult version of Paul’s sister Alia, a major character in the second book. However, Villeneuve will begin directing that movie—if and when he does—after establishing a very different dynamic between Paul and Chani than Herbert did.
But that change is actually for the better in Dune: Part Two. With the actor’s transformation in the third act into a character who is unbelievably confident in his own capacity to lead and manipulate, Chalamet’s Paul becomes a terrifying presence. But Chani and Zendaya have the hearts of the audience. Zendaya adds suspicion to Chani and Paul’s relationship making her heartbreak much harder to handle. Despite the risk involved, she allowed herself to believe in Paul’s goodness, only to be disappointed.
She is still the one pointing us in the direction of the future, even though she was unable to foresee her lover’s departure. Despite Paul’s extraordinary ability to predict the future, it seems that Chani has the most insight into what is ahead: We can tell by Zendaya‘s hurt expression that Paul’s rule will not be a happy one, which is why Dune: Part Two is such a masterful gut punch.
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