Yesterday, Vanity Fair teased a glance at the upcoming film adaption of Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel Dune. Now, a much more expansive set of photos of the cast has been exclusively revealed.
Director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) had his work cut out for him with this film, as the world of Dune is an incredibly complex and robust story that has proven to be very difficult — to the point of impossibility — for previous adaptations that have made the rounds in decades past. Most promising is the fact that Villeneuve made the decision to split the novel into two separate films; as he told Vanity Fair his reasoning for that choice was — “The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details.”
Dune stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, a young royal who finds himself at odds with his hostile new home as his family leaves their native planet of Caladan to overseeing a spice mining operation on the deadly Arrakis. His parents are Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), the latter of which has been described as a “warrior priestess.”
The expansive cast also includes the likes of Zendaya as a mysterious character named Chani, Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin as two warriors that mentor Paul, Stellan Skarsgård as the fearsome Baron Vladimir of House Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Harkonnen enforcer Glossu Rabban, Charlotte Rampling as the Bene Gesserit reverend mother, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar, the leader of the Fremen tribe. Additionally, Villeneuve made the decision to update the role of the leading ecologist on Arrakis — Dr. Liet Kynes — to a woman, who is portrayed by Sharon Duncan-Brewster.
Check out the rest of Vanity Fair’s exclusive photos from the film below.
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Dune will arrive in theaters on December 18.
