Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is coming, and the first trailer for the first of two planned films has arrived. The massive science fiction movie is set to hit theaters this December and be one of the few true blockbusters to land as cinemas slowly reopen.
There’s plenty for Dune fans to dig through in this trailer. The first movie will cover about the first half of the book, with Villeneuve already working to make a second that tackles the rest, though that film has yet to be officially greenlit. There is, of course, a giant sandworm at the end there, but the majority of the trailer focuses on Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he rises into the role of leader of his royal family and struggles to keep control of Arrakis, the only planet where spice is found.
The films is filled with A-list actors: Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, and Dave Bautista. They all get a moment in the trailer too, which is impressive. Bautista looks especially villainous as Glossu Rabban.
The movie may be huge, feature one of the best sci-fi directors working, and have WarnerMedia pushing it hard, but it’s still a pretty big risk. Dune has been notoriously tricky to adapt with a major flop already under its belt and countless attempts prior to now to make a film falling through. Not to mention the fact that Villeneuve’s last attempt at tackling a beloved science fiction property resulted in a flop despite its being one of the best sci-fi films ever made.
Maybe with Dune Villeneuve will have finally cracked it. His muted style and often dreamlike direction appear to be a good fit for the franchise, and the epic scope of Dune will hopefully draw audiences in more than Blade Runner 2049‘s more cerebral story.
Dune will release on Dec. 18, 2020.
