There are a lot of moving parts in Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune: Part Two, and while some of them were fully established in the first part of the cinematic adaptation, there is one major player we have yet to meet. The new trailer for the film gives us our first glimpse of Christopher Walken’s portrayal of the Emperor.
Shaddam IV of House Corrino is the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, who is only ever mentioned, but not shown, in 2021’s Dune. This mimics the books as a way to build tension by keeping this significant power in the shadows until he’s ready to make his big entrance. In the first film, he’s pulling the strings by intentionally setting House Atreides up to be destroyed by House Harkonnen, even lending the help of the Sardaukar — the Emperor’s elite military force — in the invasion of the former’s base of operations in Arrakis.
The Emperor’s goal was to eradicate House Atreides, but the new teaser for Dune: Part Two shows his reaction to learning Paul Atreides — the son of Oscar Isaac’s Duke Leto — is still alive. He is informed by his daughter Princess Irulan, played by Florence Pugh in the film, who will also be introduced in the sequel.
Dune: Part Two sees Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya return as Paul Atreides and Chani, alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem, and Stellan Skarsgård. Besides Walken and Pugh, the film also adds Austin Butler to its cast as Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen’s nephew and heir to the House of Harkonnen.
Dune: Part Two hits theaters Nov. 3, 2023. Until then, Dune is available to buy or rent on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and other providers.
