Dune 2: Why Zendaya’s Chani Becomes A Main Character (Despite The Book)
Denis Villeneuve teased Zendaya’s Chani have a far bigger role as one of Dune 2’s main character. Here’s how and why that can happen.
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Zendaya’s Chani has been called one of the main characters of a planned Dune sequel, and here’s why and how she’ll take on a much bigger role next to Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel is among the most anticipated movies of 2021. Chalamet is at the forefront of Dune’s incredible cast, which makes sense considering Paul’s role in the book and the young star’s massive popularity.
Paul is the undisputed lead character of Dune’s book, as it follows his rise from being the last Duke of House of Atreides to joining the Fremen, a very spiritual group of Arrakis natives, and reclaiming his homeworld. Chani is one of the most important members of the Freman in Paul’s life, as she is his primary love interest and the girl he sees in visions of the future. Villeneuve brought Zendaya into the cast of Dune to play Chani and bring the character to life on screen amidst a myriad of character houses and factions in Dune. He’s since said that Chani will be the main character of Dune: Part Two, which could signal some major changes to the latest movie adaptation of Herbert’s work.
Dune is an incredibly dense novel filled with details and world-building, so much so that Villeneuve and Warner Bros. agreed to split the movie into two parts, although Dune 2 has yet to be officially announced. This means that the first Dune movie should end around the halfway point in the book, not too long after Paul and Chani meet and he confesses that he’s seen her in his visions. This will leave Zendaya with a much smaller role than audiences might be expecting for someone of her notoriety, so her taking on a bigger role after Dune’s ending could be a way for Villeneuve to rectify that. However, Chani doesn’t have the largest role to play in the second half of Herbert’s novel either, so it seems changes are afoot. If Zendaya is joining Chalamet as Dune 2’s lead character, it could be part of Villeneuve’s effort to explore more of the Fremen and give Chani more agency in the sequel.
Even though Dune primarily follows Paul’s story, there are points where Villeneuve could use his actions to shift the focus towards Chani. It is quite possible that Dune 2 could begin prior to Paul meeting the Fremen to better establish what their living conditions are like on Arrakis. This time can help show how important of a person Chani is within the Fremen’s ranks and give audiences a more informed idea of who she is once Paul shows up. But, Dune 2’s story will also presumably be where Paul’s powers and abilities begin to really develop and showcase themselves. Paul spends lots of time alone and even falls into a coma in pursuit of these goals. Instead of Dune 2 primarily following Paul’s mission, it could send him off and stay with the Fremen and Chani.
No matter how Villeneuve executes this move to have Chani join Paul as Dune 2’s co-leading character, it is something that could be quite different for fans of the source material. That said, Chani’s increased prominence can also benefit the second film and selling the relationship between her and Paul. Dune 2 should take place while they are in love and starting a family, which is also met with tragedy as part of the war. Chani’s blue-eyed perspective opens up new avenues for the story to be explored and expanded upon that the original novel didn’t offer. Villeneuve’s vision for Chani and Paul’s Dune 2 arcs will be much more clear once the first movie is released.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/dune-sequel-zendaya-timothee-chalamet-protagonist-replace-reason/