‘NOTHING FANCY’

‘Dune: Part Two’ Trailer Taunts Us With Ghastly Bald Austin Butler

Oscar-nominated stars Florence Pugh and Austin Butler make their debut in the first trailer for “Dune: Part Two,” which looks every bit as breathtaking as the first film.

The sandworms have returned in the first full look at Dune: Part Two. In the new trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s second adaptation of Frank Herbert’s influential sci-fi novel, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is battling worms, sand, sandworms, and a brand new foe: a demonic Austin Butler.

“It’s breathtaking,” Paul says to Chani (Zendaya) of the landscape in the trailer. “When you see sand here, imagine water. If you dive in, you can’t reach the bottom.”

The setting (and cinematography) is gorgeous and all. And sure, Florence Pugh is a radiant enigma in her debut as Princess Irulan. Watching Paul and Chani kiss is sweet too. But nothing is quite as eerie as Butler’s take on the menacing Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.

Butler, who recently starred as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic based on the musician, is stunning—and shocking—in his first appearance here. Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen bears a striking resemblance to the other villainous House Harkonnen folks, like Stellan Skarsgård, who got oiled up to play Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and Dave Bautista, who enters on the battlefield as Feyd-Rautha’s brother, Glossu Rabban Harkonnen.

But Feyd is a special kind of evil, as we can see from the glimpses of his bone-chilling screams and Voldemort-esque character design. He’s the antithesis of Paul: Feyd-Rautha is the up-and-coming star of his family, but unlike noble Paul, the Harkonnen man only wants power.

While Paul isn’t exactly seeking vengeance for the war waged on his family, per se, he’s certainly on the hunt for some answers. His mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) warns Paul that his late father “didn’t believe in revenge,” while House Atreides’ weapons master Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) offers more simple advice to the prince in this war: “Nothing fancy.”

Along with Butler and Pugh, this film’s cast includes new folks like Léa Seydoux, Christopher Walken, and Tim Blake Nelson. Returning cast includes Chalamet, Zendaya, Bautista, Skarsgård, Ferguson, Brolin, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem.

Dune: Part Two is in theaters Nov. 3.

Fletcher PetersEntertainment Reporter

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