A Heartbreaking Book Subplot Was Cut From Dune: Part Two
Almost all of the best sci-fi movies are sparked from devastating tragedy. Whether it's the death of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru setting Luke Skywalker off on his journey to learn the ways of the Force alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi or Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) losing his father Leto (Oscar Isaac) and watching House Atreides come crashing down in "Dune," many of our favorite characters have to endure heartbreaking hardships before they embrace their future as heroes. While the hurdles are still only just beginning for Paul Atreides when "Dune: Part Two" opens, thankfully, director Denis Villeneuve kept one more hard-hitting catastrophe in "Dune" author Frank Herbert's source material from manifesting on the big screen.
While longtime "Dune" fans took the appearance of a certain blue scarf in the trailer for "Dune: Part Two" as a hint that Paul and the Fremen-bound concubine Chani (Zendaya) would give birth to a son, this plot detail doesn't actually unfold in the movie. In the novel of "Dune," there's a mention of Paul touching Chani's "nezhoni scarf" at one point. The glossary in the book, which details many of terms introduced in the sci-fi universe, explains that piece of clothing is described as a "scarf-pad worn at the forehead beneath the stillsuit by married or 'associated' Fremen women after the birth of a son." With Zendaya seen wearing a blue scarf that she hasn't donned before, fans assumed that this meant she would give birth to a son, who comes to be named Leto II, after Paul's late father.
However, the new timeline for "Dune: Part Two," which differs from the book, makes this scenario impossible.
Paul and Chani's children
Frank Herbert's "Dune" books stretches over a much longer period of time than the "Dune" film adaptations from Denis Villeneuve. Rather than spanning years, the events of the movies only take place over a matter of months — not nearly enough time for Paul and Chani to conceive and give birth to a child. That means we're not introduced to Leto II at all, so we're not witness to one of the more brutal moments from the "Dune" books.
In the novel, Leto II is still an infant when he's killed in a Sardaukar raid. There's definitely still a raid in "Dune: Part Two," but there's not a child to be found or killed. It would have certainly been a striking moment in the sequel, but the timeline simply doesn't allow for it. However, that doesn't mean we won't see Paul and Chani have children in the future.
Later in the "Dune" book timeline, Paul and Chani have twins. Strangely, they give the name Leto II to their new son (again) and name their daughter Ghanima. Depending on how much time passes between "Dune: Part Two" and the prospective "Dune: Messiah," it's possible that Chani could end up giving birth to the twins. After all, Paul and Chani definitely consummate their love for each other in the sequel. Even though Chani ends up leaving Paul and the Fremen revolution behind when he diplomatically embraces the Emperor's daughter (Florence Pugh, who was rather chummy with Chalamet on set) as a new bride, it's entirely possible that she's already pregnant. Perhaps by the time we catch up with her in "Dune: Messiah," the twins will have already been born, and they'll be riding around on little baby sandworms.
"Dune: Part Two" is in theaters everywhere now.