Javier Bardem says Dune sequel will surprise people

Frank Herbert’s Dune was first published nearly sixty years ago, so it’s not exactly a secret how the plot unfolds, but Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune sequel might just have a few surprises in store.

Javier Bardem played Freman leader Stilgar in the first Dune movie, a role which he will reprise in the sequel. Bardem spoke with Deadline at the Cannes Film Festival and revealed that he recently read a new draft of the script.

I’ve read the new draft, and I think they’ve done an amazing job of putting together the pieces in a way that is gonna surprise people. They won’t be surprised [by what happens], obviously, because they’ve read the book, but they’ll be surprised by the way they put it together.

“I was very moved by it,” Javier Bardem said of the Dune sequel. “It’s a movie that is full, and you can feel the weight of it, and at the same time [you can enjoy] the spectacularity of it. [I can’t wait] to go back to the desert with those people, and I’m so happy to go back with Denis, who is one of the greatest directors ever. He’s a lovely man.” Production on the Dune sequel will soon begin in Budapest with a few new additions to the cast, including Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune absolutely blew me away and I am very thankful that the sequel is actually moving forward. When it was first announced that the movie was going to be split into two parts, I’ll admit that I wasn’t optimistic that it would be enough of a success to warrant a sequel. I’ve never been so happy to have been proven wrong.

Dune: Part Two will be released in theaters on October 20, 2023.