When will ‘Dune: Part Two’ be released and who’s joined the cast?

*As you may expect, this article contains spoilers for 2021’s Dune: Part One*

Movie fans anticipating the further adventures of Paul Atreides received some good news a year away from the release of the second Dune entry.

Dune: Part One hauled an impressive $401 million, living up to the hopes of fans of Frank Herbert’s novels and cinema-goers itching for a new big-screen space opera. The first movie’s title and cliffhanger ending had fans on edge for a few weeks, but Warner Bros. Pictures soon greenlit a sequel, which is set to complete the story of Herbert’s original 1965 novel. 

The film will pick up straight from the first part as Paul’s visions, and his destiny, take shape. We’ll see the consequences of the fall of House Atreides and the devastating campaign of House Harkonnen. We are also set to learn more about the politics behind the scenes and meet more powerful players seeking to control the Spice of Dune.

When will we revisit Arrakis?

In October 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures moved Dune: Part Two’s release forward two weeks, having greenlit it a year before. Movie theaters will start filling with sand again on Nov. 3, 2023, a release slot previously set to be dominated by MCU’s Blade.

Who’s in the cast for Dune: Part Two?

As you’d expect, director Denis Villeneuve has searched far and wide to further enhance the impressive cast he’s brought to his Dune adaptation. In the insurrection, conspiracy, and war of the first movie, the franchise lost some big names, but you can rely on the following actors and characters returning for Part Two.

• Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides
• Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica Atreides
• Javier Bardem as Stilgar
• Zendaya as Chani
• Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck
• Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat

We’ll be spending more time with the Freman and getting to know far more about the secrets of Arrakis. We left Paul and Jessica in a difficult spot at the end of the first movie. Sure enough, there are still villains and manipulative forces around to cause them extra anguish as they seek revenge. Also returning are:

• Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam
• Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
• Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban Harkonnen

Part Two will also introduce characters who seemed notably absent from the first half of the adaptation, especially if you’re familiar with David Lynch’s imaginative (but barely penetrable) version from 1984. New cast members and their characters include:

• Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV
• Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino
• Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring 
• Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen

A dip into the royal circles of the Dune universe after the hints from the first movie will be explosive. It’s clear that the Bene Gesserit will remain a considerable force and a crucial part of court plots with the arrival of Seydoux’s Lady Margot. 

Feyd-Rautha, a favorite of his uncle, Baron Harkonnen, was notably missing from Part One. Fans will know that these similarly aged “futures” of their respective houses are on a collision course. The fact those parts will be played by two of the hottest upcoming superstars in Hollywood won’t hurt the movie’s chances. It’s set to be a fantastic rivalry.
It’s shaping up to be a cast that will make us forget about the characters and their actors not returning, like Oscar Isaac’s Duke Leto Atreides. Those familiar with the saga’s arc in Herbert’s novels will have some hope that not every character is lost, however. There’s a chance Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho will miraculously return to fight again if Dune becomes the franchise many hope.