It is almost 40 years since David Lynch attempted to bring Frank Herbert’s Dune to the big screen for the first time with mixed results. That version of the sci-fi epic featured Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan in the role of Paul Atreides, a role taken on by Timothée Chalamet in Denis Villeneuve’s remake, and the actor would be up for a cameo in the movie’s second chapter, but said it would essentially come down to the director.
While Dune did not massively overachieve at the box office, the result was enough for Warner Bros. to give the green light on the second part of the movie, which was news that was well received by fans of the film. Unlike Lynch’s original movie, which tried to cram the sprawling tale into one relatively short film, Villeneuve had the idea of going down the route of movies like Stephen King’s It and others by releasing the film as a two part feature. Following the arrival of Dune last year, Dune: Part 2 was announced to be aiming for release in October 2023.
Dune: Part 2 is expected to film this summer, with the main cast members all returning to continue the story of Paul Atreides, but as with any remake there is always a question of which original actors could possibly make a cameo appearance as a special little Easter egg for fans of both movies. When it comes to MacLachlan joining the cast in some capacity, he said it is really out of his hands. Speaking with ComicBook.com, the actor said:
"I think it's totally up to Denis and whatever he wants to do. I watched his film, it was great, I enjoyed it. Had a tremendous sense of nostalgia, to be honest, watching some of the sequences and remembering stuff that I did with our cast in 1983. So it was a trip down memory lane for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and who knows? Who knows what he's got up his sleeve."
Dune Part 2 Will Expand on the First Movie With New Characters and More Development For Returning Ones
The first movie in Dune’s two-part story was a real ensemble piece with a host of big name stars appearing, including Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard and more, and the second part will feature expanded roles for some of these stars as well as adding to its impressive cast list.
As well as a larger role for Zendaya’s Chani, Javier Bardem will also have more screen time in the follow-up, as he revealed in previous interviews. He explained at the time, “Denis Villeneuve called me and said, ‘I want to sit down with you,’ and when Denis Villeneuve wants to sit down with you, you go there and sit down, and listen. And he said, ‘I have a small role, if there is such a thing as the second part of the book the role will be bigger [in Dune 2].”
In the second part of Dune, Chalamet’s Paul will still be one of the main focuses of the story, but Villeneuve also elaborated that Zendaya would also become a central part of the film after her smaller role in the first part. "I can't wait to shoot the second part of Dune to get [Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya] back together," Villeneuve revealed. "Knowing that in the next chapter Zendaya will be the protagonist of the story."