Everything You Need to Remember Before ‘Dune: Part Two’

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WE'RE PROBABLY ALL familiar—in one way or another—with the feeling of FOMO. That's of course, short for "fear of missing out," and in the context of entertainment it can make its way around in a way not totally different from a contagious stomach bug. When everyone's talking about that great new show or that epic new movie, it's natural that we don't want to miss out. The barrier to entry, however, becomes a bit harder when that show is, say, in its fourth season, or if the movie is some kind of a sequel or follow-up, building on something else. In the early parts of 2024, for that matter, the movie is called Dune: Part Two.

If the idea of coming into Dune: Part Two feels a little daunting, well, that's OK. It's based on a doorstopper of a sci-fi novel that was released way back in 1964; that novel itself is filled with hundreds of pages of world-building and its own specific vocabulary. We get it.

That's not even to mention the fact that Dune, as a franchise, feels like it's been around for a long time. Directors Ridley Scott and Alejandro Jodorowsky tried to get films off the ground before David Lynch succeeded in 1984, but succeeded may be a loaded word to use; the movie was not a success, and despite Lynch's obvious talents as a filmmaker, his adaptation of author Frank Herbert's book was overstuffed and hard to follow.

Luckily, when it comes to Dune: Part Two, none of that matters. All that Denis Villeneuve's newest film is building on is his Oscar-nominated 2021 film Dune, which earned 10 Oscar nominations, winning six—and only covers the first half of Herbert's book.

It doesn't make Villeneuve's first Dune film any less of a sci-fi masterpiece, but in covering only half of the book, it allows scenes and images more room to breathe, and to linger longer in a viewer's memory. And, so, when it comes to getting ready for Dune: Part Two, there's only half a book's worth of story to freshen up on.

Here's everything you need to remember from Dune, broken down by character grouping, before digging in for Dune: Part Two.

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House Atreides

When Dune opens, House Atreides—led by the honorable Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac)—are being made to move from their home, the ocean planet of Caladan, to Arrakis. Arrakis is the center of the Dune universe, as it's a desert planet where a drug known as Spice is produced. Spice isn't super clearly defined, but it's essentially a hallucinogenic substance that gives way to visions, elevated thinking, and vital travel for the space economy. While not clearly defined, there's a belief that Emperor Shaddam IV has moved House Atreides to Arrakis because they are too strong, and the other houses could rally behind them, potentially building the ability to challenge the throne.

Duke Leto is joined on the journey to Arrakis by his son, Paul (Timothée Chalamet), and romantic partner Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), who first came to him as a concubine with the mystical powers of the all-female force known as the Bene Gesserit. The Bene Gesserit are, essentially, a religious sect of witches who can use a powerful "voice" to force others to do things against their will; the Bene Gesserit leaders (who show up throughout the world of Dune; a spin-off series called Dune: The Sisterhood, centered on the origin of the Bene Gesserit, is scheduled for release on Max in late 2024) demand their members to only give birth to females, but because Jessica was so in love with Leto, she gave birth to Paul, a male. As a result, Paul becomes what the Bene Gesserit call the "Kwisatz Haderach"—essentially, the chosen one. House Atreides are also joined by a number of loyal allies, including war master Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), top warrior Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa), and Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who is basically a human computer.

As the movie goes along, though, things aren't so simple. After a number of ups and downs in the transition, there's eventually a successful assassination on Duke Leto's life, as the Harkonnens—who previously controlled Arrakis—took control back, partnering with the Emperor in an act of great deception. It turns out that the entire operation of moving House Atreides to Arrakis was done to wipe Leto and his allies off the board, and put the Harkonnens back in charge of the Spice production and trade.

While Duncan winds up dead in battle and Gurney disappears, Paul and Jessica manage to escape, making their way out to the Arrakis deserts. Paul, who has been having visions of the desert, a Fremen girl named Chani (Zendaya), and a desolate future that he may or may not be responsible for, and Jessica eventually link up with the Fremen in the desert, where Paul earns his stay after impressing their leader, Stilgar (Javier Bardem), and defeating one of their soldiers, Jamis, in battle (he had trained extensively with Gurney.)

As the film ends, we hear Chani describe not only her and Paul's journey, but the over-arching Dune journey as well: "This is only the beginning," she says.

House Harkonnen

As touched on above, the Harkonnens are the major antaongists and out-right villains in the Dune story. Their leader is Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, a psychotic and enormous figure who revels in the violence and misery of others. He hates House Atreides and specifically wanted to see Duke Leto's death; Leto almost took him out with a poison gas-filled tooth, but because he can kind of crawl around like a spider, he survived.

Other key members of the Harkonnen family include the Baron's nephew, Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista), who's a loud-mouthed and not-so-bright brute, and Feyd-Rautha, a psychotic warrior who is, essentially, the Harkonnen version of Paul. He's not in the first Dune film, but is played by Austin Butler in Dune: Part Two.

The Emperor

Emperor Shaddam IV isn't seen in Dune, but his presence is felt throughout, from a messenger (seen above) delivering his order at the start of the film; it's his pettiness and fear of Duke Leto and House Atreides that sends the entire story into motion.

In Dune: Part Two, we won't only see the Emperor himself (played by Christopher Walken), but also his daughter, Princess Irulan (played by Florence Pugh). We learned in Dune that Irulan is unmarried, and that Paul could attempt a political marriage with her as a way to stake a claim for the throne himself.

The Fremen

We only get a couple small bits of the Fremen in the first Dune film, but it's important to know that they are, essentially, the indigenous people to Arrakis—Spice and the lifestyle that comes along with it (and the lack of water on the planet) are core to what they do. In addition to Stilgar, their leader, and Chani, there are enough Fremen that Paul taking control of their army could help him defeat just about any other force in the universe.

By the end of the film, after Paul defeats the Fremen Jamis in combat, they accept him; Paul takes on the name Paul Muad'dib, as their journey begins, but Lady Jessica's expressions suggest nothing but nervousness about the future that surrounds both her and her son. And with her Bene Gesserit background, this is certainly something worth noting.

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