Paul Atreides may have become the Emperor by the end of Dune: Part Two, but his victory is more of a cautionary tale than an actual win.
In a recent ‘For Your Consideration’ video released for Dune: Part Two, Villeneuve talks about the tragedy of Paul and what he ultimately loses by winning against the Harkonnens by the end of the film. Villeneuve explains:
“At the beginning, it starts with the heartbreaking moment where he tells her, ‘I will love you forever,’ but he will have to leave her, and he will know he will break her heart, and in order for the Fremen tribe to survive, he will have to walk a path that will go against her political views; and he knows that it will break her heart as a woman, and he will also break her heart as a Fremen, and he will lose her forever, and this is something that is the tragedy of Paul.”
Director Denis Villeneuve orchestrated the final scene of Dune: Part Two to showcase the heartbreaking tragedy of Paul as he’s forced to choose between his true love and his destiny. #DuneMovie pic.twitter.com/JuxHTj7QRi
— DUNE (@dunemovie) December 30, 2024
One of the biggest differences that the film has with the book is that Chani is given more agency in the movies. In the books she is a blind fanatic of Paul, but in the movies she is critical of Paul’s ascent as Kwisatz Haderach and it’s implied that Chani leaves Paul by the end of the movie.
It’s unclear what Villeneuve has in store for Dune: Messiah, but fans are hopeful that he’ll manage to stick the landing with the trilogy. Hopefully he drives Frank Herbert’s point across when it comes to his warning of mythical ‘chosen one’ figures.
Dune: Messiah is set to release in theatres on Dec. 16, 2026.
