There’s not much Chani in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Zendaya was on set 4 days

Director Denis Villeneuve is hoping to make a two-part adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel DUNE, but whether or not he gets to bring the second half of the story to the screen will depend on how well the first film does when it reaches theatre screens on December 18th. 

One actor crossing their fingers that the second film will happen is Zendaya, who plays the role of Chani, "a mystery woman who haunts (the lead character) in his dreams". Speaking with Empire, she revealed that her part in the first film is "very, very small", as she only got to work on set for four days. She said,

That's why I'm so excited to see it, to see what everyone's been up to. [Director Denis Villeneuve and I] had a little discussion about who Chani is and the strength she possesses. She's a fighter, that's what her people are. I only really had a few days with her, so I kind of scratched the surface but it was so much fun figuring her out. What does she walk like, what does she talk like? This is her planet, so how does she navigate this world? It was so fun. [The director] is so kind and attentive to all of his actors. I was only there for four days and I did not want to leave! Denis understands what he wants from us but he's also very collaborative, allowing me to have my take on the character as well. I don't want to jinx anything but I can't wait to explore her more."

DUNE stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, "a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding", who 

must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence – a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential – only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Chalamet and Zendaya are joined in the cast by Oscar Issac as Paul's father Duke Leto Atreides; Rebecca Ferguson as Paul's mother Lady Jessica; Josh Brolin as troubadour-swordsman Gurney Halleck; Jason Momoa as swordmaster Duncan Idaho; Javier Bardem as helpful tribe leader Stilgar; Stellan Skarsgård as the villainous Baron Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Harkonnen's brutish nephew Glossu Rabban, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as ecologist Doctor Liet Kynes, Charlotte Rampling as the emperor's truthsayer Reverend Mother Mohiam, David Dastmalchian as the twisted Piter De Vries, Chang Chen as Atreides family physician Dr. Yueh, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat, Master of Assassins for House Atreides.

Villeneuve wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, and produced the film with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter. Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Thomas Tull, and Kim Herbert served as executive producers. Kevin J. Anderson was the creative consultant. 

This is the third adaptation of DUNE. The two previous adaptations were a 1984 film directed by David Lynch and a 2000 mini-series directed by John Harrison.