The Dune: Part Two Trailer Introduces Christopher Walken As The Emperor Of The Universe
"Do what must be done." It's been less than two months since the world got its first look at "Dune: Part Two," the grand and mythic sequel to Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert's seminal novel, but Warner Bros. has seen fit to bless the Maker and all His Water and his people, too, with the release of another lengthy, three-minute long trailer. The footage lays out all the basic beats for the upcoming film, teasing just enough for newcomers to grasp the complexity of the story while still managing to drip-feed glimpses of events, locations, and certain key characters that will go on to play enormous roles in the adventure to come.
At the top of the list has to be the reveal of Christopher Walken in the highly-anticipated role of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, the unseen but oft-referenced figure chiefly responsible for setting House Atreides and the villainous Harkonnens at odds with one another over control of the desert planet of Arrakis. Ever since the announcement of such a brand-name in the role of one of most central characters in the entire book series, our heads have been spinning over just what kind of zaniness Walken, the reigning king of camp, might have in store for us. Instead, however, the brief glimpses we see of the Emperor in the trailer suggest a very different and much more restrained take than many of us expected.
In any case, consider this a cheat sheet and a refresher course of everything the "Dune: Part Two" trailer indicates about this new approach to the mysterious Emperor of the Known Universe.
The Emperor behind the curtain
For a series that inspired so much of what "Star Wars" would ultimately become, is it really much of a surprise that "Dune" would introduce its own Emperor pulling the strings in the background? The 2021 "Dune" adaptation kept the political figurehead entirely off-screen, instead choosing to have characters like Stellan Skarsgård's Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and others only speak of the Emperor in hushed tones. The closest we got to any sort of background information on the character came from the brief interlude set on the prison planet of Salusa Secundus, which housed the Emperor's elite army of Sardaukar soldiers that the Harkonnens would later use to invade Arrakis and stage a coup to overthrow Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), his heir Paul (Timothée Chalamet), and their entire House.
But finally, we're set to expand the perspective of the story in a huge shift during the sequel — chiefly through the eyes of the Emperor's enigmatic daughter, the Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh). We previously wrote about just how important Irulan will be throughout this next part of Paul's journey, which appears to be taking a much darker (and book-accurate) tone now that he's become accepted into the Fremen clan of indigenous people on Arrakis and priming to strike back at the usurpers who've taken control of the planet. But a major obstacle in the path of Paul's fight for freedom remains the Emperor, who's clearly playing the long game by manipulating the most powerful Houses under his regime against each other and provoking outright war. Is this part of some evil master plan to strike specifically against House Atreides, a desperate power play to maintain his seat, or something else entirely? We'll surely find out soon enough.
These dunes were made for Walken
Denis Villeneuve and his casting director Francine Maisler continue to knock it out of the park by loading up "Dune: Part Two" with nothing but star-studded cast members, adding a bevy of incoming talent — from Austin Butler's new physical threat Feyd-Rautha to Léa Seydoux's Lady Margot to Tim Blake Nelson in an unknown role — to supplement the already-strong ensemble that includes Chalamet, Zendaya's Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Paul's mother Lady Jessica, and much, much more.
Of course, one of the biggest names added to the cast would be none other than Christopher Walken as the Emperor, a role that now seems to mark a fascinating departure from his usual work. While the star has recently turned in incredibly fine work as the soft-spoken Burt in the Apple TV+ series "Severance," we arguably haven't seen Walken in a serious and restrained performance on the big screen in a major project like this for some time now. While the Emperor as portrayed in the book lends himself to a sinister air of excess and indulgence, making Walken's typically outsized screen presence seem like a perfect match for the theatrical and over-the-top grand figure, our brief look at him in the "Dune: Part Two" trailer positions the Emperor as a more cunning, reserved, and calculating figure — one directly confronting Paul and quietly hissing dialogue like, "Your father ... was a weak man."
All told, our look at Walken's new villain amounts to mere seconds of screen time in the trailer. This heavily implies that the marketing team is holding back on more thrilling footage of the Emperor in action until the time is right. Something tells us that all will be revealed upon the release of "Dune: Part Two" on November 3, 2023.