There are plenty of reasons to be excited for the release of Dune: Part Two, from Denis Villeneuve's richly textured depiction of Arrakis to Timothée Chalamet's engrossing portrayal of the burgeoning messiah, Paul Atreides.
The gargantuan sci-fi epic will resolve Villeneuve's two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's landmark novel. And the movie has another big surprise up its stillsuit sleeves: the announcement of a surprise A-lister in a mystery role.
Said actor appeared on the red carpet at the film's UK premiere and we think we know who they'll be playing. If you've read the book and are keen to find out more, keep on scrolling. If not proceed with all the caution of a Fremen sand-walk.
POSSIBLE DUNE: PART TWO SPOILERS AHEAD
The actor in question is Anya Taylor-Joy, acclaimed for her versatility and memorable roles in the likes of The Witch and The Queen's Gambit. She'll also be playing the younger iteration of Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa in the forthcoming Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa, directed by George Miller and released on May 24th.
Welcoming Anya Taylor-Joy to the #DunePartTwo World Premiere pic.twitter.com/CuXZjgDxJS
— Warner Bros. UK (@WarnerBrosUK) February 15, 2024
So, who do we think Taylor-Joy is playing in Dune: Part Two? With all of the major players accounted for, we speculate that she's portraying Alia of the Knife, sister of Chalamet's anti-heroic Paul Atreides.
Alia initially enters the Dune universe as an infant, and this is set to be a significant event in Dune: Part Two. When Paul's pregnant mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), drinks the Water of Life to ascend to the role of Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, it has profound effects not just for her but her unborn child.
Said child is Alia, later of the knife, who emerges with the preternatural abilities of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. It is Alia who ultimately kills the treacherous Baron Harkonnen (played in the movies by Stellan Skarsgard), revealed to be her grandfather, and she plays an even more significant role in the next chapter, Dune: Messiah.
There's been no announcement as to who's playing Alia as a child, and we can only speculate that Taylor-Joy is playing the character. But it makes sense: Denis Villeneuve has already announced his intentions to make Dune: Messiah, so we're imagining a mid or post-credits stinger whereby we jump ahead several years beyond the events of Dune: Part Two and are introduced to Taylor-Joy's older Alia, thereby setting up the events of the next movie.
Oddly enough, back in 2021, we put together a list of actors who we wanted to see cast in Dune: Part Two, and Taylor-Joy was our choice for Princess Irulan. Instead, the character is being played by Florence Pugh but at least we got halfway there.
Will our suspicions prove correct? Is Anya Taylor-Joy playing the pivotal role of Alia? We'll find out soon enough.
Dune: Part Two is released at Cineworld on March 1st and you can book your tickets by clicking the link below.
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