Jump to:
- Dune 2 release date: When can we expect to see Dune Part Two?
- Dune 2 runtime: How long is Dune Part Two?
- Dune 2 age rating: Is Dune Part Two suitable for children?
- Dune 2 trailer: Watch the Dune Part Two trailers here!
- Dune 2 cast: Who's coming back for Dune Part Two?
- Dune 2 plot: What will Dune Part Two be about?
Dune 2 is finally out in cinemas and given the near-unanimous praise for the sequel, it seems that Dune: Part Two has been well worth the wait.
We had expected to see the sequel in November, but the actors' strike affected its release, as the cast wouldn't have been able to promote the movie. But we are now only days away from its cinematic debut.
Even close to the release, there were still surprises in store, as it was revealed at the world premiere on February 15 that Anya Taylor-Joy has a secret role in the sequel.
What that role is remains to be seen, so while we wait for all the surprises to be revealed, here's everything you need to know about Dune: Part Two.
Dune 2 release date: When can we expect to see Dune Part Two?
As mentioned above, Dune: Part Two is now out in cinemas following its release on March 1.
Originally slated for a November 3, 2023 release, the sequel was pushed back to March 15, 2024 during the actors' and writers' strikes, before being moved forward two weeks to its current date.
Unlike the first movie, which was released on HBO's Max streaming service on the same day that it hit US cinemas, the sequel will have an exclusive theatrical release in the US rather than a day-and-date streaming release.
Filming commenced on the sequel on July 18, 2022 and took place on location in Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jordan and Italy. Filming wrapped in December 2022.
Dune 2 runtime: How long is Dune Part Two?
Ahead of its release, Dune: Part Two has been confirmed to have a runtime of 165 minutes and 37 seconds, or just over two hours and 45 minutes.
That's around 10 minutes longer than the first movie, so we're in for a suitably epic return to Arrakis.
Dune 2 age rating: Is Dune Part Two suitable for children?
Like the first movie, Dune: Part Two has been classified 12A in the UK for "moderate violence, bloody images, threat" and a PG-13 in the US.
In the UK, the 12A means that while children under the age of 12 can watch the sequel, they'll need to be accompanied by an adult. It's at the parents' discretion whether the movie is suitable for their child.
In the US, anybody can see a PG-13 so there are no similar restrictions.
Dune 2 trailer: Watch the Dune Part Two trailers here!
The first trailer for Dune: Part Two was released on May 3, 2023, increasing the hype for the sequel's release.
Remind yourself of the trailer below:
On June 29, 2023, a second trailer was released, showing characters such as Emperor Shaddam IV for the first time.
The third – and final – main trailer arrived on December 12, 2023, teasing the large-scale action in store for the sequel.
After all, what's better than one sandworm? Three of them, of course.
Dune 2 cast: Who's coming back for Dune Part Two?
When filming was announced, we were also treated to an official confirmation of those returning for the sequel and the new faces we'd be seeing.
Timothée Chalamet is back as Paul Atreides, and his co-lead in the second movie will be Zendaya's Chani, who we knew would have a larger role to play in Part Two after Paul finally met her at the end of the first movie.
Speaking to Empire, director and co-writer Denis Villeneuve explained one of the movie's concerns is the romance between Chani and Paul Atreides.
"At the very core is a love story between Paul and Chani," he said. "How Paul will gain her trust, how she will open her heart to him, and how they will find a way to free Chani's world from the Harkonnen grip. It's a much more emotional movie."
About Paul's journey, the director teased: "He has the power to change things, but he knows that if he does so, it will create an astronomical amount of violence and he will become a kind of dictator. He's trying to find a way to avoid that ominous future – that's the burden upon his shoulders."
Rebecca Ferguson is also back as Lady Jessica, Paul's mother, and it sounds like the character will have a bigger role in the sequel.
Villeneuve told Town & Country: "Lady Jessica kind of disappears in the second part of the book, and I made sure as I was writing the screenplay to do the opposite, to make sure that she will be active, to bring her back to the front of the story.
"I'm looking forward for the world to see what Rebecca has accomplished. She's not afraid to go very far away. She's a force that I can count on."
Other returning stars include Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Stellan Skarsgård as the villainous Baron Harkonnen and Dave Bautista as the Baron's nephew Glossu Rabban (aka "The Beast").
Like Zendaya, Bardem is set to have a bigger role in the sequel, as he revealed to Vanity Fair that the sequel's expanded role was part of Villeneuve's pitch to him.
"He [Villeneuve] said, 'I have a small role, if there is such a thing, as the second part of the book the role will be bigger, and I would love you to do it if you want to.' And I said, 'Of course, I want to. I don't care if there's a second movie or not,'" he recalled.
However, don't expect to see Oscar Isaac back as Duke Leto Atreides or Babs Olusanmokun as Jamis, given that they were killed during the first movie.
Book readers will know that there's potential for Jason Momoa to return as Duncan Idaho later in the series, but probably not in the sequel.
Both Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck and Stephen McKinley Henderson's Thufir Hawat have been confirmed to return in Part Two.
In fact, Villeneuve confirmed that Dune 2 will fix a fan complaint about the first movie: The sequel will include the Baliset, the nine-stringed instrument played by Gurney Halleck. The scene where Halleck plays the instrument didn't make it into the first movie, but it will be included in the second.
"The Gurney song survived Part Two! It became a weird priority for me. But Josh Brolin is a poet and we played it together. It was awesome," Villeneuve said.
There will be plenty of new faces among the cast too. It's already been confirmed that Part Two will see Elvis star Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot.
Chalamet has already been full of praise for Pugh's performance in the movie, which marks the second time, after Little Women, the pair have worked together. "She's an incredible actor. She was incredible in Dune – seriously incredible. She brought a gravitas to the role," he said.
An official first look at Pugh in the movie was revealed in late April 2023.
Chalamet also had good things to say about Zendaya and her expanded role in the sequel: "She's bringing exactly what she brought to the first one – which was incredible – but in greater abundance."
In July 2022, Deadline reported that Souheila Yacoub would be joining the cast, playing Fremen warrior Shishakli. We thought that was it, but then Tim Blake Nelson was confirmed in a secret role in January 2023.
As mentioned above, the casting surprises weren't over, as it was revealed in February that Anya Taylor-Joy has a secret role in the movie. She didn't confirm whom she'd be playing, but fans have speculated she could be Paul's sister, Alia.
Dune 2 plot: What will Dune Part Two be about?
When the sequel was confirmed, we got our first plot synopsis too:
"This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
"Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavours to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee."
The first movie covered just over half of Frank Herbert's book, ending as Paul and Lady Jessica were accepted into the Fremen and on their way to Stilgar's home.
With House Atreides pretty much decimated, it's going to be them against the Empire in the sequel, where we're sure to see more of Paul's visions of his future come to life as he leads a revolt against the Empire.
Villeneuve revealed that he had toyed with ending the movie later, with the book's time jump. But he realised that his "first intuition" to break after Paul meets the Fremen was the right place to end it.
Thanks to Paul's prophetic ability, the first movie contained exciting teasers for what's to come in the character's future as he contends with his ultimate destiny, one that could be connected to Chani and the Fremen of Arrakis.
Villeneuve teased the sequel would "go a little bit deeper into some of these details," including the aforementioned Feyd-Rautha. "It's like a chess game," he said. "Some new characters will be introduced in the second part."
Javier Bardem has been teasing how the sequel won't just be a straightforward adaptation, so even if you've read the book, make sure you don't consider your speculations as fact just yet.
Bautista has been hyping up the release of the sequel, telling Collider in January 2023 that the movie is "so amped up from the first film. There's just so much going on, it's so much more cutthroat and political and intense."
Villeneuve has also teased that while the sequel is faithful to the original story, the movie has a "heartbreaking" ending.
"All of the elements are there. But I think the movie adaptation is more tragic than the book," he explained. "The way that Part Two ends ... it would create a total balance and equilibrium to finish Paul's storyline in what we could say in Part Three."
Zendaya has also been teasing that the future for Paul and Chani "ain't pretty" so don't expect a happy ending.
Don't worry though, this isn't the end of the story as Villeneuve has also confirmed that he plans to adapt Dune Messiah into the third movie, and that it will wrap up his involvement in the Dune series.
Dune: Part Two is out now in cinemas. Dune is available to watch on Netflix.
How to watch Oppenheimer at home right now
Buy Cat Deeley's This Morning outfits
Bluey-themed family dinners launch at Gousto
Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
Deputy Movies Editor, Digital Spy
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over seven years, mostly for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas.
Her work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema in the UK.
She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world, and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London.
Now based in the UK, Mireia joined Digital Spy in June 2023 as Deputy Movies Editor.
