Right now, Timothée Chalamet is gearing up for the release of his latest film, Bones and All, a cannibalistic love story that reunites him with Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino. But in less than a year, Chalamet will return as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Two, which adapts the latter half of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel. The sequel began production in Hungary back in July, pairing several returning cast members with a few new faces making their franchise debut. However, Chalamet insists that the real MVPs are Zendaya and Florence Pugh. And during a recent interview with Variety, he discussed what it was like to work with both actresses in the film.
Aside from her appearances in a few hallucinatory dream sequences scattered throughout the first two-thirds of the film, Zendaya’s Chani didn’t officially show up until Dune’s third act. But although her screentime in the first movie was short, director Denis Villeneuve has hinted that she plays a bigger role in the sequel. And Chalamet is already impressed by what he’s seen so far.
“She hasn’t wrapped yet, and it’s amazing,” said Chalamet. “She’s bringing exactly what she brought to the first one — which was incredible — but in greater abundance. And she’s really become a sister. I’m so grateful to count her as a partner and a sister and a friend, and also to share stories about how amazing it is to work with Luca, because we worked with him back to back on wildly different projects.”
RELATED: Dune: Part Two’s Release Date Moves Up Two Weeks
Chalamet also confirmed that Pugh has completed filming her scenes as Princess Irulan. In Herbert’s novel, Irulan was the daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV (played by Christopher Walken in the sequel). She also has a special connection to Chalamet’s character in the book. Chalamet previously worked with Pugh on 2019’s Little Women. So he was already familiar with her talents.
“Florence is really special,” Chalamet said. “She’s an incredible actor. She was incredible in Dune — seriously incredible. She brought a gravitas to the role. And I can’t believe my good fortune at this young age…between Taylor Russell in Bones and All and Zendaya in Dune. And Austin Butler’s in that movie too [as Feyd-Rautha].”
Dune: Part Two will hit theaters on November 3, 2023.
Are you excited to see Zendaya and Pugh’s performances in the sequel? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Dune (Penguin Galaxy)
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Also. However. Regardless.
