Denis Villeneuve Reveals Favorite Dune 2 Scene: "It's Barely [...] In The Book"

By Ryan Northrup

Published Feb 26, 2024

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This article is part of a directory: Dune Part 2: Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know

Dune 2’s Fremen Language Subtitles Aren’t Always Direct Translations, Villeneuve Reveals

Summary

Denis Villeneuve reveals that Paul's first sandworm ride is his favorite scene from Dune: Part Two.
The moment is not only integral to the story and Paul's journey, but it was an immense technical challenge.
Riding a sandworm is a rite of age for Paul, and the creatures will be crucial in the fight against the Harkonnens.

Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve reveals what his favorite scene from the film is, and it just so happens to be the most challenging. After the success of 2021's Dune, Villeneuve returns to continue the story of Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides in his highly-anticipated sequel. The film is again based on source material by author Frank Herbert, chronicling Paul's rise to power with the Fremen and his continued fight against the Harkonnens.

Ahead of the Dune: Part Two release date, Villeneve reveals in an interview with CineFix that his favorite scene from the movie is Paul's first sandworm ride.

The director reveals that the scene was a particular challenge to film, especially because it's not described in detail in Herbert's book. Check out his full comment below:

"There's a shot where Paul finally rides on the worm. We see his foot and finally he stands up and finds his balance on the worm for the very first time. It's a bit like where he becomes a Fremen, where he becomes an adult.

"It's barely described in the book and I had to imagine the technique how he will be physically able to jump on a worm. Making that look real, dangerous, edgy, possible, it required a tremendous amount of time and research and development. It was by far the most complex sequence I have ever done in my life."

Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Two.

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The Dune: Part Two cast features both returning actors from the first movie, like Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, and newcomers like Florence Pugh.

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Paul Atreides rides a sandworm in Dune: Part 2

Paul's first ride on a sandworm has been fairly heavily featured in the marketing for the movie, and it will evidently play an important role in the story to come. The ending of 2021's Dune sees Paul tentatively accepted into the Fremen ranks, but he still remains something of an outsider. In Villeneuve's sequel, that is set to change.

2021's Dune is currently available to stream on Netflix and Max.

In the trailers, Paul's riding of a sandworm is presented as a rite of age. The Dune: Part Two plot features Paul becoming a leader figure for the Fremen, and his first ride of the sandworm is a major test in this regard. His success, which is teased in the video above and in trailers, is how he earns the Fremen's trust and respect, which will be crucial as the war against the Harkonnens intensifies.

Riding a sandworm isn't just a rite of age for Paul, however, and the creatures' power could actually turn the tide in the battles to come. One particularly epic sequence in the trailer shows a sandworm appearing above an army of enemy soldiers, speaking to the power that the beasts can have as instruments of war. In the first film, Oscar Isaac's Duke Leto Atreides talks about the value of harnessing "desert power," and the sandworms in Dune: Part Two are evidently a big part of this.

Source: CineFix/ YouTube