Well, it seems that the cat is out of the bag — or better yet, the giant spaceworm of a secret about Dune: Part Two has burst forth from the sand.
On Thursday, online rumors of Anya Taylor-Joy’s secret role in the Dune sequel were confirmed after she spoke in London of the hotly anticipated sci-fi adventure at the star-studded Leicester Square premiere.
“Yes, you’ll have to see the film,” she demurred when prompted about the reason for her attendance at the premiere by Yinka Bokinni in footage posted to X.com. Taylor-Joy was then asked about how it felt to join the Dune universe. She replied: “This is a dream come true. The books are incredible, but with this cast and with Denis [Villeneuve], it doesn’t get any better than that.”
The pseudo-reveal prompted EW to post parts of a recent interview with Villeneuve online on Friday — which was conducted when Taylor-Joy’s casting was still a big production secret.
“I cannot believe that we kept the secret that long,” the film’s director told the magazine. “It required so much work to keep that secret. Everybody signed with their blood.”
This week’s online buzz began when Letterboxd added the film, set for release on March 1, to the titles in Taylor-Joy’s filmography. The credit on that website has since been removed, but that sliver of evidence has been screengrabbed and shared widely.
What will remain secret until the movie’s wide release on March 1 is which famous character she will play from this adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic epic novel series. It’s been speculated that she might portray a key character, who is herself a bit of a late-stage reveal to many of the story’s central characters.
Taylor-Joy — whose breakout year in 2020 included her award-winning performance in the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, the lead role in Emma and an ensemble role in The New Mutants — shot to Hollywood’s A-list. But the actor had a relatively quiet 2023, with a single film credit as Princess Peach in the animated The Super Mario Bros Movie.
Florence Pugh, Austin Butler and Léa Seydoux are among the stars added to the second half of Villeneuve’s Dune two-parter, which covers the first volume of five books Herbert wrote in the series, which his son continued after Herbert’s death. The returning powerhouse cast from Dune: Part One includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Josh Brolin and several other stars.
Discussing the second installment on Thursday, Taylor-Joy couldn’t help but gush and sing the praises of her director: “[It’s] one of the best movies I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Genuinely, Denis has killed it.”
Reactions from film critics have been similarly commendatory, as they were quick to storm X.com with praise and comparisons to other beloved second installments in beloved franchises, like The Empire Strikes Back and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. But the franchise’s additions seem to be sharing the bulk of the praise.
The New York Times said that an “incredible” Austin Butler’s turn as Feyd Rautha resembles “an evil Balenciaga NoHo Hank,” and Uproxx said he “is literally channeling a demon from hell.” Major kudos went to Zendaya, too, who was called the “crux” of the sequel and Villeneuve was, as usual, praised for his vision, with online critic Brandon Davis writing that “the visuals in Dune: Part Two had me so astonished, I feel like I understand how everyone felt seeing Star Wars for the first time back in 1977.”
Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
