Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve recently shared that he makes Chani the main character in the sequel and live-action adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel.
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Two (2024), Warner Bros. Pictures
Speaking with Games Radar, Villeneuve admitted, “As the movie progresses, there’s a shift in the main character, and Chani becomes my reference as point of view.”
Villeneuve also shared that he’s giving the character of Lady Jessica a larger role in his film, “Strangely, Jessica’s more in the background in the second part [of the novel] – I thought that was not proper.”
He explained, “She’s still Lady Jessica, the main architect of the story. I thought that was a very powerful idea that was not sustained in the book. I made sure that she has the character presence in the second part.”
Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica and Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune (2021), Warner Bros. Pictures
Zendaya would also share, “What Denis does very well is take the female characters more deeply into consideration.”
She added, “He was really able to build out a strong sense of [Chani’s] own views and life. It wasn’t entirely like she’s at the will of who she’s in love with. I did feel a particular sense of care for what Chani represents in his films.”
Zendaya as Chani in Dune Part Two (2024), Warner Bros. Pictures
Villeneuve admitted to the LA Times back in 2021 while promoting the first film that the biggest element of Herbert’s novel he focused on was the women.
He said, “At the very beginning of the creative process, I remember Eric Roth asking me, ‘What is the most important element I should focus as I’m starting to write the first draft?’ I said, ‘Women.'”
“There are so many things in the book that are so relevant and so prophetic but I felt that femininity should be up front. We needed to make sure that Lady Jessica is not an expensive extra,” he explained.
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune Part Two (2024), Warner Bros. Pictures
Villeneuve is no stranger to inserting wokeness into Frank Herbert’s work. He infamously race replaced Chani with Zendaya. He also race and gender replaced Liet Kynes with actress Sharon Duncan-Brewster.
His scriptwriter Jon Spaihts explained to the LA Times the decision back in 2021, “Herbert’s novel is, to some extent, an artifact of its time and it definitely skews male in ways that don’t feel completely contemporary now.”
He added, “Of all the messages in the story, the message brought by Liet Kynes of planetary stewardship, of the preciousness of resources, of the necessity of building bridges to local communities to sustain ourselves going forward — those are modern messages, and it seemed right to modernize the messenger.”
Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet Kynes in Dune (2021), Warner Bros. Pictures
Villeneuve also claimed that the novel and film are relevant because of its various themes including colonialism.
Variety’s Jennifer Yuma asked Villeneuve, “What is it about Dune that makes it still so relevant today?”
Denis Villeneuve on why #Dune is more relevant today: “The impact of colonialism, the exploitation of natural resources… all of those subjects are more present in our society.” https://t.co/SVUDofB03H pic.twitter.com/sBZES7preZ
— Variety (@Variety) September 13, 2021
He answered, “I would say that it’s not still relevant, I think it’s more relevant. Because the thematic that Frank Herbert explored when he wrote the novel in the beginning of the 60s.”
“The impact of colonialism, the exploitation of natural resources, the danger of mixing politics and religion together, the danger of messianic figures all those are subject as just being more extrapolated today…not extrapolated, just more vibrant and present in our societies,” he said. “So, I think sadly, the book is more relevant today than it used to be when it was written.”
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune Part Two (2024), Warner Bros. Pictures
He elaborated, “The exploitation of natural resources that are done because of extreme capitalism. I’m talking about extremes right now.”
He continued, Then you can see that the forces that will oppose will be sacred and linked with religion. And that is a mix that is dangerous and volatile. And that’s something the movie is digging into.”
What do you make of Denis Villeneuve’s comments about Dune: Part Two?
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Part I was good, but not good enough to put up with bait-and-switch shenanigans. The book wasn’t perfect, and I’m fine with balance changes, but this sounds more like cuck neo-feminism run amok.
It is WB’s loss that Villeneuve changed Kynes the back story of the character is exciting and would have made good material for more adventures in the world of Dune if the prequel novels are followed. As for Villeneuve’s current comments I’d say he is compensating for his failure show case women in first movie and give them more meat to work with. I take for example the scene where Jessica brings Paul before the reverend mother. That scene could have been so much more powerful if Villeneuve played on material in prequel books and the Dune novel and made a scene where Jessica and mother have more tension as black sheep student and teacher as a mother and student who doesn’t know she’s actually a daughter too. With Paul in the center. But I got a good laugh out of scene where Elmo replaces Paul in a parody.
“He said, “At the very beginning of the creative process, I remember Eric Roth asking me, ‘What is the most important element I should focus as I’m starting to write the first draft?’ I said, ‘Women.’””
As a woman myself, I must roll my eyes. I doubt that exchange actually happened that way, if at all, but this blatant virtue signaling just tells me they were afraid their main audience would turn out to be straight white males and they just can’t have that this second time around.
As for the dangers of “extreme capitalism” and religion…Denny boy… You’re probably the last person to preach on the subjects.
According to IndieWire, there was a translation error. IGN stated, “IGN has learned an important distinction (via IndieWire): Zendaya will be the lead female protagonist in Dune, Part Two, and not the lead protagonist.” Has this now been debunked, or was the second report a clean-up attempt and they are now floating another trial baloon?
No one asked for a Woke Dune so purists could pass. What a waste of resources to make a movie that isn’t like the intent of the book. The book is popular because of what it is. If they wanted the female lead science fiction book, it would have already existed and they could film it tomorrow. Today’s filmmakers hate their audiences and their heroes.
Zendaya is a bigger star and actor than the white boy, she should be the lead.
Wow. Villeneuve displays a staggering level of arrogance stating that what the author wrote was not proper. then how about writing your own novel, or screenplay, instead of relying on some improper author’s work to make your bank.
Chani dies during childbirth so making her the main character is a weird choice, guess dune part two is a more “creative” than “faithful” adaptation.