A pair of new images from Denis Villeneuve’s highly-anticipated Dune adaptation shine the spotlight on the three important characters played by Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, and Javier Bardem. The upcoming film, which is currently set to hit theaters in December, will be the first time Hollywood has managed to bring Dune to the big screen since David Lynch’s oft-maligned, Kyle MacLachlan-led adaptation was released back in 1984. The original novel, written by Frank Herbert, has proven notoriously difficult to adapt into a live-action story, with several notable filmmakers having failed to get their own takes off the ground in the decades since its 1965 release.
Still, despite the novel’s well-known, difficult history in Hollywood, Villeneuve’s Dune is shaping up to be one of the most promising and epic blockbusters in the works right now. Not only has Villeneuve garnered a sizable amount of goodwill among audiences for his previous films, Dune also boasts a seriously impressive cast. Timothée Chalamet leads the film in the coveted role of Paul Atreides, while the rest of Dune‘s ensemble includes recognizable actors like Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, and Zendaya.
Two new images from Dune have been released online today (courtesy of Empire), offering new glimpses at a few of the film’s key supporting players. The first photo gives Dune fans their latest look at Bardem’s Stilgar, who leads the Fremen group on the film’s central fictional planet, Arrakis. Meanwhile, the second image features the powerful parents of Chalamet’s Paul: Isaac’s Duke Leto and Ferguson’s Lady Jessica, shown sharing an intense moment together. You can check out both photos down below:
These images are just the latest in a string of Dune-related pieces that have been hitting the web over the past few days. Following the debut of new magazine covers came a new look at the film’s take on the iconic Sandworms, as well as another batch of character images released just yesterday. Most of the releases, including today’s photos, have primarily focused on either the sheer pedigree of the Dune cast or the epic scale of the sci-fi story. It’s hard to say exactly what’s happening in the photos of Bardem, Ferguson, and Isaac, though they do speak to the film’s intensity. Warner Bros. continues working to drum up as much interest and hype for the film as possible leading up to the debut of its first official trailer later this month. Hopefully, at that time, the context for some of the newly released images will become clear.
Now, it’s important to note this sudden marketing push may all end up being for naught if Dune, like most of 2020’s blockbuster films, ends up being pushed from its current December theatrical release date. It’s difficult to know whether that will be the case with Dune, especially as films like Tenet and The New Mutants are right now testing out the viability of theatrical releases in a socially-distanced society. But no matter when it gets released, Dune looks to be one of the most ambitious sci-fi films audiences have to look forward to right now.
Key Release Dates
Dune
Release Date:2021-10-22
