Timothée Chalamet returns to the barren desert of Arrakis, but this time, he's facing off against Robert Pattinson's villainous role in Dune: Part Three. Indeed, the Batman alum debuted a dramatic transformation in the film's trailer—which was released on March 17—as Scytale, a menacing shapeshifter that dons pale blonde hair and brows. When he's not creating an ominous mood with his look, he's stirring up the plot as the leader of the Dune Messiah, a conspiracy group that tries to plot against Timothée's Paul Atreides.
But beyond a glance at Paul's newest foe, the Marty Supreme star noted his journey through the Denis Villeneuve-directed series—based on Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah—has been nothing short of a dream. "After two impactful films with an in-development process that started in the mid-2010s, and a production process that began in 2018, spanning over 150 production days across the three films, today we are debuting the trailer for Dune: Part Three," Timothée said in a video message to fans at the film's trailer launch event on March 16. "This film would not exist without the master of cinema, the great artist that is Denis Villeneuve." Specifically, the 30-year-old described Denis' work on the movie, out on December 18, as a "true act of cinema."
But that wasn't the end of the surprises. While Timothée didn't physically attend the event, Denis appeared alongside Dune: Part Three cast members Robert, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, and Anya-Taylor Joy. The director shared insight into what fans can expect from the movie, including how it's set 17 years after Dune 2, which saw Timothée's character avenging the death of his father King Leto (Oscar Isaac).
"We see Paul dealing with the consequences of having too much power and trying to figure out how to get out of this cycle of violence," Denis explained. "It's a quite intense story." He continued, "It's a very different movie than the first ones. It's a good idea to come back to those worlds not by nostalgia but by urgency. If the first movie was contemplation and a boy exploring a new world, and the second one is a war movie, this one is a thriller. It is action-packed, tense, and more muscular."
True to the director's words, the film's trailer shows Paul asking his mom Lady Jessica (played by Rebecca Ferguson) if he'll survive through his mission of killing his enemies. But near the teaser's final scene, he boldly declares, "I'm not afraid to die, but I must not die yet," his head now shaved into a buzz cut for battle.
Despite the upcoming bloodbath, Denis reassured that the film—also starring Florence Pugh and Jason Momoa—will also continue to explore Paul's complicated relationship with Zendaya's Chani. As he simply put it, "It's still a love story."
