Following reports that the first Dune trailer would play before select showings of Christopher Nolan's new movie, Tenet, several images have now leaked online giving us a glimpse of director Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic. The images offer our first look at Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban a.k.a. Beast and give us a good idea of the kind of ethereal atmosphere that Villeneuve is going for.
Bautista's skin has been turned a pale white for his portrayal of Beast, with the wrestler-turned-actor looking as intimidating as ever as the brutish nephew of Stellan Skarsgård's Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the sworn enemy to Oscar Isaac's Leto Atreides.
The images from the upcoming trailer also feature Timothée Chalamet as lead character Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Zendaya as Paul's love interest Chani, and Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, the sword master of House Atreides and one of Paul's mentors.
The Dune theatrical teaser is reportedly a brisk 1 minute and 37 seconds long, and will allegedly focus on a familiar scene from Frank Herbert's novel, in which Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides is subjected to the Gom Jabbar test, which tests Paul's humanity, awareness and animal instincts. One fan has described the trailer saying, "Although the 1:37 runtime whisked by in a flash, I could not have been more impressed with the look of this film and the way Villeneuve and company are capturing the world of Dune."
Warner Bros. Pictures describes Dune as, "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."
Dune boasts an impressive, star-studded cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. Directed by Blade Runner 2049's Denis Villeneuve and with a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Villeneuve, and Eric Roth, Dune currently has a release date of December 18, 2020.
The art director behind Dune, Tom Brown, recently discussed the epic scope of the movie, praising Villeneuve's vision and comparing it favorably to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. "I think what Denis Villeneuve is doing is what's called a seminal version of this story," Brown said. "I don't think it will be topped, to be perfectly honest. The sheer scale of it is going to be daunting. But I do think it's going to be extremely special. I heard in the paper the other day that they're looking at the new 'Lord of the Rings,' and I firmly believe that. I think it's going to be up there with those kinds of films, really." Based on the leaked images, the movie certainly looks to be epic in scope, with even these fuzzy screenshots communicating the unyielding intensity that is sure to burn behind every scene. This comes to us from Twitter user @oocfilms_.