Denis Villeneuve explains why Chani in Dune: Part Two is different from the book

Dune: Part Two is out in theaters now, and the verdict is that it's a big, spicy hit. The film took in over $82.5 million at the domestic box office and $178 million globally according to Variety, making it the highest grossing release ever for director Denis Villeneuve. That's more than double the opening weekend gross of Dune: Part One, which dropped simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters back in 2021 to the tune of $41 million domestically.

Whether it's the fact that Dune: Part Two is getting an exclusive theatrical run before coming to streaming, that the pandemic has cooled enough for people to justify going back to theaters, that its star-studded cast was able to promote the movie, or just people's faith that Villeneuve will deliver on his sequel after how good the first movie was, the fates have clearly aligned in Dune: Part Two's favor. It's great to see a film jolt the 2024 box office after a slow start to the year, and especially one with such clear artistic integrity as Dune: Part Two.

It shows no sign of slowing down either. The A.V. Club reports that theaters in New York City have taken to showing the movie at shocking 3:15 a.m. showings because the demand is so high. This is a movie that is made to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and audiences know it. Per CNBC, IMAX ticket sales represent around 23% of the domestic box office take and 18% of the international take, which is pretty impressive. And according to IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond, “The only reason it wasn’t higher is we ran out of seats."

“The lesson is that if you take a beautiful visual experience, a good story and you put it in the hands of a brilliant filmmaker with an IMAX camera, you’re going to get very good results,” Gelfond said.

Dune: Part Two changed Chani in order to make its themes clearer

While Dune: Part Two's rave reviews are absolutely justified, from an adaptation perspective it does make some interesting decisions and changes from Herbert's 1965 Dune novel. One of the bigger ones centers around Chani (Zendaya), a Fremen warrior and the lover of unwilling space messiah Paul Atriedes (Timothée Chalamet). In the novel, Chani and Paul have far less friction than in the movie, going so far as to have a child together (who is subsequently killed when the war with the Harkonnens escalates). Once things kick into high gear near the end of Dune, the focus shifts away from Chani a bit until we get into the sequel, Dune Messiah, where she once more plays a big role.

In the movie, Chani is a driving force and arguably one of the most riveting characters, since she's the biggest voice of dissent against Paul's rise as a messiah. She even gets the final shot of the film, ending it on a bittersweet moment as she returns to the desert.

According to The A.V. Club, Villeneuve explained why Chani was changed in the movie during a post-screening talkback. The reasons were twofold: to capitalize on making Chani an even more integral character to the story, and to help get across Dune's complex themes.

“When Frank Herbert wrote Dune and when the book came out, he felt that the readers misunderstood him,” Villeneuve said. “People saw Dune as a celebration of Paul Atreides, but for him he wanted the book to be a warning regarding messianic figures."

Villeneuve went on to say that Herbert's sequel, Dune Messiah, was written "almost like an epilogue," to "correct that perception" that Paul was a virtuous hero ushering in the good times. When the holy war begins at the end of Dune, you should have a pit in your stomach and chills running down your spine, not joy that Paul triumphed. Villeneuve's movies make that far clearer than the original Dune novel, in part because of Paul's added romantic struggle with Chani.

“Chani, in the second part of the book, kind of disappeared in Paul’s shadows. The character becomes less interesting,” Villeneuve said. “But I thought there was a strong opportunity there to create a character there who would give us a new perspective on Paul, in order to get closer to Frank Herbert’s intentions.”

Of course Legendary Entertainment wants to make Dune: Part Three — whenever Denis Villeneuve is ready

What Villeneuve says about Dune Messiah functioning as almost an epilogue to Dune is spot on. While the first Dune book is a sprawling epic, Messiah is a much tighter affair that deals primarily with both the personal and galactic ramifications of Paul's ascent. Herbert wrote six Dune books before his death in 1986, and his son Brian Herbert and co-author Kevin J. Anderson have written dozens more since, but Dune and Dune Messiah are the two which tell Paul's story before the saga moves on to other characters.

It would make sense for Villeneuve to finish out a Dune trilogy with an adaptation of Dune Messiah, and he's been pretty up front with audiences that this is indeed his intention. There's even an "almost finished" screenplay ready for Villeneuve's Dune Messiah.

“There’s the dream of making the addition of Dune Messiah, the third movie, that will be the end of the journey of Paul Atriedes,” Villeneuve said back in December of 2023. “It would make absolute sense for me to do this movie. That movie is being written right now. The screenplay is almost finished, but it’s not finished. It will take a little time.”

Villeneuve is pacing himself for the long haul. Regardless of any intention to do Dune Messiah, he's made it clear that he "might make a detour before just to go away from the sun [in the desert]. For my mental sanity I might do something in between, but my dream would be to go a last time on this planet that I love.”

He reiterated his need for a gap between Dune: Part Two and Dune: Part Three just last week, ahead of Part Two's release. “There is absolutely a desire to have a third one, but I don’t want to rush it,” he told The Times of London. “The danger in Hollywood is that people get excited and only think about release dates, not quality.”

Fortunately, it sounds like Legendary Entertainment, the studio behind Villeneuve's Dune films, is on pretty much the same page. “I think everybody is very excited and really enjoying this moment and if Denis [Villeneuve] gets the script right and he feels that he can deliver another experience on par with what we’ve just completed then I don’t see why not,” Legendary CEO Josh Grode told CNBC, emphasizing that in order for Dune: Part Three to happen, "We have to have all creative stakeholders aligned and support the vision.”

So for as much as Legendary may want more Dune, they seem to appreciate that a movie like this doesn't happen without a seriously passionate creative team behind it. It's important not to overtax the golden goose, and to celebrate the success of Part Two.

“I think this is a movie where you know the word of mouth is going to carry it,” Grode said. “It is a stupendous piece of filmmaking. There’s no other way to say it. I’ve just about run out of adjectives.”

Dune: Part Two is out now in theaters. Watch it on the biggest screen you can find.

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