Say what you will about the perceived dominance of franchise films, but the presence of more big science fiction and fantasy epics based on older properties will always be a win in our books. For what love there may be for Marvel, DC, and the Avatar franchise, the box office could always use a hearty dose of fresh genre fiction that isn’t horror.
The Dune saga is shaping up to be one such dosage, with 2021’s opener offering up a star-studded, foreboding, captivating look at the world dreamed up by Frank Herbert back in 1965, and its sequel, Dune: Part Two seeming to gear up for the big sci-fi spectacle that many were expecting from such a story.
Indeed, it’s no unfair statement that Dune felt like more of a stage-setter than anything, introducing us to the development of the political conflict between House Atriedes, House Harkonnen, and Emperor Shaddam IV as the Fremen natives find themselves caught in the crossfire of a coup. A peculiar alternative to an opening crawl a la Star Wars, perhaps, but an ultimately welcome one nevertheless.
Still, the part of us that wants a more energized experience can’t be ignored forever, and Dave Bautista, who will reprise his role as antagonist Beast Rabban Harkonnen in the sequel, has assured us in an interview with Collider that Dune: Part Two ups the intensity significantly compared to the first film.
“The first film was just an introduction to what this film is. There’s just so much going on, it’s so much more cutthroat and political and intense. And there are moments of levity where [there are] some funny moments, and they’re kind of absurd humor, but there are those moments. So it’s just so much more amped up than the first film.”
Even if it weren’t stacking the deck, we’re sure that Dune: Part Two would pull quite the audience nevertheless. One of history’s best-selling sci-fi novels, after all, is bound to boast the fanbase numbers necessary to turn the film into a box office success. With the news that Part Two will be jump-starting a few extra neurons compared to its predecessor, it’s a lock for one of this year’s high points for Warner Bros.