The spice is in the air — Denis Villeneuve’s Dune now officially has its first trailer, giving audiences a better look at the director’s take on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic:
Here’s the official synopsis:
“A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.”
The cast is jam-packed with stars, including Timothée Chalamet as our hero Paul, Rebecca Ferguson as his mother Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as his father Leto Atreides, and Zendaya as love interest Chani. We also have Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Chang Chen, David Dastmalchian, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.
This version of Dune looks massive in scale, with sweeping landscape, massive space battles, and artfully designed scenes; basically, everything we’ve come to expect from Villeneuve. What’s interesting about the trailer is that it looks at the story from Chani’s perspective, how people are invading her home planet of Arrakis, hurting its people and taking its natural resources. It’s not like this idea isn’t in the original source material, but it’s not usually the plot thread that’s put front and center. Other adaptations tend to put the focus on the betrayal and attack on House Atreides and Paul’s role as the savior of Arrakis.
And best of all, the film will be available on HBO Max for those unable to make it to theaters to see it on the big screen, though it is still getting a full theatrical release.
Dune will premiere in theaters and on HBO Max’s Ad-Free plan on October 22, 2021.