Fans of Frank Herbert’s Dune have waited a long, long time for a screen adaptation of the mammoth sci-fi novel that will do the epic story justice – and, with the first trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation having finally arrived, this could well be it. Covering the first half of Herbert’s novel, Dune brings the desert planet of Arrakis, the noble House Atreides, the Fremen people, the precious spice, and – most importantly – those towering sandworms to the big screen in a lavish blockbuster boasting a stupendously starry cast, and helmed by the man who delivered two stone-cold science-fiction classics in Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. Watch the trailer here, and let the spice flow.
Doesn’t that look thrilling? Newcomers to the story will goggle at the scale and scope of the storytelling and world-building here – and those in the know will delight at seeing all the characters in action: Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and Zendaya’s Chani with their apparent shared destiny, the spectacularly-bearded Oscar Isaac as Paul’s father Duke Leto, the magnetic Rebecca Ferguson as his mother Lady Jessica, Jason Momoa giving it some as warrior Duncan Idaho, Javier Bardem watching on as Fremen leader Stilgar, and even a glimpse at Dave Bautista as the fearsome ‘Beast’ Rabban. And beyond that, there are the oceans of Caladan, the Ornithopters in flight, the desert expanse of Arrakis itself, and – yes – those terrifying sandworms. Phew.
If that all reads as gibberish to you, keep an eye out for Empire’s fact-filled trailer breakdown coming shortly – and get a world-exclusive look inside Dune in the new issue of Empire, on sale now and with two collectible covers: House Atreides and The Fremen. In the mag, we go on set with Villeneuve and talk to all the major players about the mammoth task of bringing a notoriously tricky adaptation to fruition.
As it stands, Dune is expected to arrive in UK cinemas on 18 December – and until then, we’re going to watch this trailer on repeat, and pass the time by learning the litany against fear off by heart: “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration, etc. etc.” See you on Arrakis.