The recent Dune Part 3 trailer offered our clearest look yet at what a jerk Timothée Chalamet (well… Paul Atreides) has become. And while that’s a largely expected turn of events given the film’s primary source material (Dune Messiah) and the direction of the movies thus far, it is worth noting that director Denis Villeneuve and members of the film’s cast have indicated that the situation isn’t quite so clear as it may seem.
“All the visions and all the nightmares that Paul was facing… All these nightmarish dreams came true. They became a reality, which means Paul is dealing with the consequences of his actions and his decisions, so it’s more of a redemption story,” said Villeneuve in an interview with SFX magazine. “Even still, the heartbeat of the film is that love story between Chani [Zendaya] and Paul Atreides [Timothée Chalamet]. It’s more of a broken love story, but still.”
Without getting too deep into spoilers, that statement could support what eventually happens to Paul in Dune Messiah. However, the mention of Chani does potentially complicate this matter somewhat. After all, Chani was largely depicted as a loyal companion to Paul in Messiah despite his more lustful embrace of power. However, what we’ve seen of Dune: Part Three so far (most notably in this latest trailer) strongly suggests that Chani will take a more active role in opposing Paul in the movie. Whatever changes may come, Villeneuve insists that relationship will remain at the heart of everything that happens.
“It’s about the story of Paul and Chani, them struggling with their relationship, having the burden and incredible pressure from the world around them, and Paul having to find a way out of this cycle of violence,” Villeneuve said at a previous Dune: Part Three trailer launch event. “There’s something about the way their love endures time and the way their relationship evolves, that story, that relationship of both characters, that’s very personal to me.”
It’s also worth noting that Chalamet previously stated that this film is “sort of Denis’ mastery weaving in storylines that weren’t explicit in the book” and that Paul’s story is “perhaps where Denis took the most creative liberty, but it really ties the story together.”
So, at the moment, there is quite a bit of speculation regarding the possibility that the latest Dune: Part Three trailer is deceiving us in some way regarding Paul’s seemingly overtly villainous portrayal and Chani’s role in the rebellion. If I could take a little room to speculate, though, I would say that everything the cast and crew have said so far suggests that we are still heading toward a somewhat similar point, with some of the events along the way altered to ensure that this film serves as the functional emotional conclusion to this trilogy (even if someone else decides to pick this story up down the line). Chani will almost certainly have a more active role in the film, but Villeneuve’s quotes about the largely redemptive nature of Paul’s story hint that he isn’t entirely abandoning the character’s arc, even though he will certainly take a few liberties along the way.
We’ll know for sure when Dune: Part Three is released on December 18.
