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Could Zendaya’s role in Dune be more powerful than we first thought? (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Dune intrigued us from the start; Zendaya’s portrayal of Chani in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune intrigued us. But as Dune: Part Two gears up, Chani’s character arc is set to take a deeper dive than anyone expected. Forget the background role she held in Frank Herbert’s novels—Zendaya’s Chani is evolving into something more commanding, rebellious, and complicated than the fierce Fremen wife we first met.

While Herbert’s Chani was fiercely loyal to Paul Atreides, Villeneuve’s interpretation hints at a different story. In the first film, she’s already more than just Paul’s love interest—there’s a subtle tension, an unease in her eyes as she watches Paul’s power grow. As Dune: Part Two looms, we’re bracing for a Chani who questions the...

This Dune article contains spoilers.

If the shocking ending of Dune: Part Two left you wanting more, you can actually watch Dune: Part Three right now. Kind of. Although Denis Villeneuve hasn’t fully committed to a movie adaptation of Dune Messiah, there is an often overlooked filmed version of this Dune sequel out there right now. This isn’t a bootleg or a fan film either, but The Sci-Fi Channel’s excellent Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune miniseries. This very real adaptation of Dune Messiah even stars several major Hollywood stars, including James McAvoy and Susan Sarandon, as well as Star Trek legend Alice “The Borg Queen” Krige.

If you’ve slept on this particular Dune sequel, now is possibly the best time to watch it. Here’s what to know about Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune, why it’s great, and how to watch it.

What...

In the very first images that we see in the incredible new trailer for Dune, protagonist Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) has a vision in which he sees a young woman and hears her calling his name.

That young woman is Chani, a member of the Fremen, the native people of the planet known as Arrakis. Although Paul doesn’t know who she is in his visions, they meet after his family arrives on Arrakis and she becomes his protector, his guide and ultimately his lover and wife.

In Dune, Chani is played by Zendaya, the gifted young actress and singer known for playing Mj in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far from Home, as well as her lead role of Rue on the HBO series Euphoria.

Asked about playing Chani in director Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel, Zendaya is enthusiastic about appearing in what...