The New ‘Dune’ Trailer Is Heavy On Timothée Chalamet And Big Worms

Dune is one of the most knotty, complicated books in the sci-fi canon.

There are few works of art like the thing; few authors who have dared to shove as much stuff into their literary worlds. Each page is bursting with a rich, entirely invented history, and the cast of characters are so dizzyingly intertwined that it’s easy to submerge yourself utterly in their trials and tribulations.

Indeed, its scope is so vast that a cinematic adaptation feels like an exercise in futility — this is the text that almost wrecked David Lynch’s career, don’t forget, and defeated even the wildly ambitious Alejandro Jodorowsky. (Although, it’s worth stating here that Lynch’s Dune is much better than its reputation might suggest, full of hallucinogenic images and a pervasive sense of dread.)

So, good on Denis Villeneuve — the director behind the equally ambitious Blade Runner 2049 — for being the latest filmmaker to try and tackle the adaptation. Better still, Villeneuve seems to understand the meaning of humility — he’s only adapting half the book, rather than unhinging his jaw and trying to swallow the whole thing in one go.

Just how successful that work of literary condensing is remains to be seen of course, but going off the trailer dropped today, signs look promising. At once surprisingly linear and yet epic in scope, the trailer hits all of the recognisable Dune beats — complex military hierarchies; a pensive Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet, doing his best death stare); and giant sandworms.

Essentially, it looks like a very good time at the movies. Guess we’ll find out just how good when the film releases this October.

Watch the trailer in full here: