Anya Taylor-Joy is opening up about what fans can expect from her Dune: Part Three character, who will boost up the epic story!
It appeared as if Dune had completed its journey with the release of the second film in 2024. However, as fans of Frank Herbert’s epic know, it’s really the beginning. Denis Villeneuve always intended for this to be a trilogy and he’s getting his wish with Dune: Part Three, coming later this year.
The cast features an intriguing mix of returning faces and a few new actors. Among the returnees are Paul Atredies (Timothee Chalamet), Chani (Zendaya), Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Irulan (Florence Pugh), Stilgar (Javier Bardem), and, amazingly, Duncan Idaho (Jason Moama), who’s been resurrected as a twisted figure.
New to the cast is Anya Taylor-Joy, who will be playing Paul’s now grown sister, Alia. As book readers know, Alia is on a difficult journey as her psychic powers grant her amazing abilities, but also make her mentally and emotionally unstable. Taylor-Joy featured briefly in Dune: Part Two, but this time around she'll be one of the core players.
In a large cast discussion with Deadline, Taylor-Joy shared insight into the role and what fans can expect. “Alia has a very intense blessing/curse situation," she said. "She carries the weight and the wisdom of generations and generations in her head. She’s never in a singular conversation. It’s kind of everything everywhere all at once.”
Per the article, Taylor-Joy winked at the in-joke to the 2022 Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once, whose multiverse storytelling and wild visuals are fitting for the world of Dune, and for Alia's psychic prescience in particular.
The role was played by Alicia Witt in David Lynch’s infamous 1984 adaptation of the book, Laura Burton in a 2000 Sci-Fi Channel mini-series and Daniela Amavia in the 2003 Children of Dune mini-series. Like other actors, Taylor-Joy will be putting her own stamp on the role in ways book readers may not expect.
What’s coming for Alia Atreides in Dune: Part Three?
Without delving into spoiler territory, Alia’s exploits in the movie will include first being considered an outcast because of her strange birth and powers. However, by the events of the later books, Alia is considered a saint by Paul’s followers. Unlike Paul, the power corrupts her, leading Alia into some very dark places.
It’s unclear how much of that will be captured in the film, especially since Alia's book role was largely cut from the second film. Villeneuve will have to balance what material for Alia to adapt, potentially drawing from several books to create the character we see in this one film. Taylor-Joy hinted that Alia will have a devotion to her brother that can turn unhealthy.
“The one thing that she really feels most strongly about is her love and devotion to her brother, because that is the only person who’s ever made her feel like she makes sense. He’s understood her from before she was even born, and she will do anything for him to various degrees of insanity,” she said.
Taylor-Joy is no stranger to powerful action roles, such as Furiosa, so she is well-suited for the role of Alia. Her addition should add to the movie and help bring the saga to its grand conclusion. We need to learn more, yet Taylor-Joy is promising the best adaptation spin yet on Alia, which will show both the heroine and villain, making her one of Dune’s most complex characters.
Dune: Part Three premieres in theaters December 18, 2026.