Denis Villeneuve Says He Needs To “Dream” More Then Decide If He Makes ‘Dune: Messiah’ Or Takes “A Detour”

Austin Butler‘s breakout came from a Method acting performance for the ages in Baz Luhrmann‘s “Elvis,” with the actor living in the role on camera and off for about three years. But Butler wasn’t about to do that for Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in “Dune: Part Two“.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Austin Butler‘s transformation into Elvis was widely documented last year. He spent three years researching the music icon and went fell Method actor during production, never abandoning Presley’s trademark southern drawl for months on end. For his role as the sociopathic villain Feyd-Rautha in Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune: Part Two,” Butler toned down the Method acting considerably.

Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet and Austin Butler are taking their high-profile, high-fashion promo tour for Dune: Part Two on the road!

Caroline Brew editor Hamilton Watches has designed a custom “Desert Watch” with the artisans of “Dune: Part Two” for the film. Although the “Desert Watch” can only be seen in Arrakis, Hamilton has also launched two limited-edition watches inspired by the prop, coinciding with the release of “Dune: Part Two.” The collaboration between Hamilton and Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures for the prop watch was created alongside the film’s prop master Doug Harlocker, at the request of Denis Villeneuve.

After David Lynch tried to adapt Frank Herbert’s “unadaptable” Dune with little success in 1984, Denis Villeneuve had a crack in 2021 by splitting the book in two and he set a new bar for the sci-fi genre with Dune: Part One. Part Two has a lot to prove but fans of Herbert’s magnum opus can rest easy because it’s every bit as groundbreaking as its predecessor and then some. The title card at the end of Dune boldly declared itself as “Part One” and left many apprehensive about the future of the story.

Dune: Part Two, and critics are full of praise for Denis Villeneuve’s “epic” sci-fi sequel.Part Two concludes the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 896-page, 1965 novel, following Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen to learn the ways of the desert, wage war on the forces that destroyed his family, and fulfil his destiny as the supposed chosen one.At present, the film holds a score of 97% from 115 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with only three negative write-ups to be found.Many have praised the sequel for its gigantic scope and ambition, including Rolling Stone‘s David Fear, who wrote: “Villeneuve has outdone himself. More importantly, he’s done justice to the scope and scale and sheer weirdness of a stoner-lit touchstone’s back half without, pun intended, sanding away its edges.”The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw said Dune: Part Two is “superb at showing us an entire created world, a distinct and now unmistakable universe, which will probably be much imitated: a triumph for cinematographer Greig Fraser and production designer Patrice Vermette.

As always, the 2024 Sundance Film Festival gave us several likely Oscar nominees. Keiran Culkin for “A Real Pain,” documentaries “Union” or “Daughters“,” and, potentially, Sebastian Stan for “A Different Man.” But there was no Best Picture player in the vein of “Past Lives” or “CODA” in Park City last month, at least, there didn’t seem to be.

Immense, remarkably captivating, imposing, and right on the edge of overblown, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” is a spectacular blockbuster epic in the grandest sense of the tradition. Picking up where ‘Part One’ left off, this darker, bleaker, moodier sequel is a grand war movie but also a devastating cautionary tale about messiahs, idolatry, and the dangers of false gods.

Settling back into Denis Villeneuve’s exotic sci-fi world gets off to a tense start, with a sudden horns-of-Jericho blast from Hans Zimmer’s score, coupled with a stern warning onscreen: “Power over spice is power over all.” It seems a little unnecessary, since the pursuit of spice — a highly sought-after mind-bending drug — is pretty much the only constant in Frank Herbert’s novels. But it does hammer that point home, lest it get lost, since, being the second part of a trilogy, Dune: Part 2 fits the exact same interstitial slot occupied by The Two Towers in the Lord of the Rings franchise — the necessary but dramatically tantalising middle bit that gets us to the award-sweeping climax.

Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet are wearing matching looks for their latest Dune: Part Two press stop!

The press tour for the Dune sequel continues!

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Austin Butler was hospitalized after he wrapped filming on Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” and it appears it was something of a miracle he avoided a similar fate on the set of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two.” The Oscar nominee joins the epic franchise as Feyd-Rautha, the cruel and sadistic younger nephew of and heir to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). Butler told Entertainment Weekly that heat stroke impacted several people on set during his first week of shooting. How’s that for a welcome? “It was 110 degrees and so hot,” Butler said.

Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler and Florence Pugh pose for Entertainment Weekly‘s new digital cover!

Recently, “Oppenheimer” filmmaker Christopher Nolan made headlines by favorably comparing Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” to the “Star Wars” sequel, “The Empire Strikes Back.” Those comments come from a conversation that took place on February 2, 2024, after a screening of Nolan’s sci-fi “Tenet” in IMAX 70mm Film at AMC CityWalk, as the film was recently given a quick theatrical re-release (“Tenet” came out during the pandemic and wasn’t as widely seen theatrically as most of Nolan’s movies, only grossing 365.3 million, given that was the heart of COVID-19 season in summer 2020).

Dune: Part 2 have been shared, with some critics describing it as “the definitive sci-fi epic of a generation”.The premiere for the Denis Villeneuve film – which is the sequel to the 2021 movie – was held in London’s Leicester Square last night (February 15), and stars the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler and more.Originally, the film was set to be released in cinemas last November, however, it was later pushed back to March 1 due to the strikes across Hollywood. Now, the first thoughts on the sci-fi project have been shared, and it seems to be drawing glowing reviews across the board.In addition to Chalamet and Zendaya, returning cast members include Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, and Charlotte Rampling.

Dune: Part Two is off to a great start with critics, who are foaming at the mouth in their attempt to describe how awesome it is.

Earlier today, one of the last puzzles of the “Dune” puzzle came together. “The Queen’s Gambit” star Anya Taylor-Joy, who leads the upcoming “Mad Max: Furiosa” film, revealed she has a role in Dennis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two.” Who is she playing? We know, but are sworn to secrecy and won’t spoil more than she has herself already.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune: Part Two” has finally been unveiled and film journalists are showering the highly-anticipated sequel with praise for its incredible ensemble cast, breathtaking visual effects and more. The film, which follow’s 2021’s “Dune,” is being called “masterful,” “damn impressive” and full of battle scenes that rival Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.” “‘Dune: Part Two‘ is damn impressive,” wrote The Playlist’s Gregory Ellwood. “Villeneuve crafts some truly VISIONARY moments.

What’s this: another young star is part of the cast of Denis Villeneuve‘s sequel “Dune: Part Two“? Yes, indeed. Variety reports that Anya Taylor-Joy joined the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Austin Butler for the upcoming blockbuster’s world premiere in London today, confirming that she has a role in the film.

The cast of Dune: Part Two took their looks to another level on the red carpet at the movie’s world premiere in London, England on Thursday (February 15).