How Dune: Part Two Expands Zendaya’s Role After She Was Only in Part One for 7 Minutes

Zendaya had the top billing of 2021 Dune — but only in the new sequel does the actress really get a chance to shine.

Dina: The second partin theaters now, features the 27-year-old Euphoria star reprising her role as Chani, a Fremen warrior hiding in the deserts of the planet Arrakis. (Spoiler alert: As the trailers revealed, the sequel features a lot more Zendaya than the first installment.)

Dune introduced Chani through the prophetic visions of Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet. When he finally meets the young woman in person and leads him further into the desert, she promises that it’s “just the beginning” in what turns out to be the film’s closing moments.

Timothée Chalamet rides sandworm in ‘Dune: Part 2’ trailer — promising more Zendaya

Writer and director Denis Villeneuve designed his own Dune a two-part adaptation that covers the plot of the original novel by author Frank Herbert, which became a science fiction classic in 1965. However, tracking was not guaranteed; only days later Dune premiered in theaters and on HBO Max in 2021, and the production company Legendary Entertainment and distributor Warner Bros. they gave the green light for a sequel due to its success at the box office and later winning an Oscar.

Since Chani primarily appears in the second half of Herbert’s book as Paul adjusts to life in the Arrakis desert, Zendaya’s role in First part served mainly as a set-up for the events below.

Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in Dune: Part Two.

Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures

For many Zendaya fans, her seven minutes of screen time in the two-and-a-half-hour film was a disappointment, especially after Spider man the star appeared at countless press events and premieres.

Villeneuve (56) admitted Los Angeles Times 2021 that “there are some characters that are less developed… I’m saving for another film — that’s how I found the balance. In this film, we tried to stay as close as possible to Paul’s experience. Then in the second one, I’ll have time to develop some characters that have been left a little bit aside.”

As Zendaya said in an interview with PEOPLE, her audition for the role of Chani preceded the release of the HBO hit that significantly raised the star’s profile and made her the youngest Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Timothée Chalamet Calls ‘Dune’ Costar Zendaya His ‘Sister,’ Says She Has Expanded Role in Sequel

“Ago Euphoria came out,” she said, “I heard Denis was doing this and there might be something I could do about it. I said, ‘Hi, can I audition?’”

Zendaya revealed Entertainment Weekly earlier this month in which she appeared First part it was a week of filming in the deserts of Abu Dhabi and Jordan. However, she said, that made her even more excited to visit Chani again: “It was fun to figure it out and live with her a little longer because a week wasn’t enough!”

Villeneuve added that in the second half of Herbert’s novel, Chani and Lady Jessica (played by Rebecca Ferguson in the films) were “a bit more in the background — which I didn’t like, because I’m absolutely in love with both characters… I felt it made more sense to give them more content and presence, their own agenda.”

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Zendaya at the premiere of “Dune: Part Two” in Mexico City on February 6.

Media and media/Getty Images

For Chani, this meant expanding the role beyond being Paul’s love interest. Dina: The second part sees the character struggle with the tension between falling in love with a stranger and ideologically disagreeing with him while accepting to become a saintly icon of the Fremen. “He’s constantly fighting something inside of him,” Zendaya said EW. “It gave me something more to hold on to and I really appreciated that.”

As Villeneuve further explained, giving Chana “a different agenda” than her passive acceptance of Paul in Herbert’s original novel allowed him to “bring a different perspective to the story.”

“[Herbert] he was disappointed with the way people perceived Paul,” the French-Canadian director told the newspaper. “In his mind, Dune it was a cautionary tale — a warning against charismatic personalities. He felt that Paul was being seen as a hero, when he wanted to do the opposite.”

Dune Messiah, the second novel in the series published in 1969, “makes it very clear that this story is not a victory, it’s a tragedy,” Villeneuve said. “I humbly hope that this adaptation is closer to Frank Herbert’s original intentions. I used Chania’s character to do that.”

(L-R:) Anya Taylor-Joy, Souheila Yacoub, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Denis Villeneuve, Austin Butler, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh and Lea Seydoux at the New York premiere of “Dune: Part Two” in February. 25.

Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.

Zendaya is donating $100,000 to the Bay Area theater where she got her start

Mild spoilers ahead: consideration The second part ends with Paul and Chani both alive — and their romantic relationship uncertain, given how much she opposes him becoming a messianic leader — fans could see even more of Zendaya if Dune the franchise continues.

Herbert wrote five Dune novels, while his son Brian wrote further sequels, prequels and spin-offs within the literary universe. 2021, Villeneuve said EW that he would like to do “at least three” Dune movies.

Last August, the director said Empire that “there are words on paper” for a third film. “If I can make a trilogy, that would be a dream,” he said.

Dina: The second partstarring Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, Anya Taylor-Joy, Christopher Walken and returning cast members Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling and Javier Bardem, is in theaters now.

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Source: HIS Education