Zendaya, who stars as Chani in the upcoming Dune: Part Two, has promised fans that her character will have a much more significant role in the upcoming sequel. The announcement was made during a presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where the first trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to Dune was also unveiled.
First look at Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet as Paul and Chani in ‘Dune: Part Two’ pic.twitter.com/kDkb6RtRrk
— Zendaya Updates (@Zendaya_Updated) April 27, 2023
In the trailer, which was described as “jaw-dropping,” Chalamet’s Paul Atreides is shown in the desert with Chani, played by Zendaya. Another scene features Atreides attempting to ride a sandworm. The first Dune film received criticism for not featuring Zendaya’s character as much as expected, despite the heavy promotion of her role.
During the presentation, Zendaya addressed the criticism, stating that her character would have more screen time in Part Two. “She’s not just in dreams this time,” Zendaya said. “I only got a small time to find out who she was. These are still two young people who are trying to grow up, fall in love and leave, being a warrior for your people.”
Denis Villeneuve, the film’s director, described the second installment as “an epic war movie” and confirmed that the entire film was shot on IMAX. The trailer also features new cast addition Florence Pugh, who stars as Princess Corrino, and Javier Bardem, who will reprise his role as Stilgar.
Dune: Part Two is set to be released in November, but the online release date for the trailer is still unknown, though many expect it to be released soon. Fans of the franchise are eagerly anticipating the sequel after the success of the first film and are excited to see Zendaya’s character take on a more significant role in the story.
