This article contains major spoilers for Dune: 2 and minor spoilers for Dune MessiahDenis Villeneuve’s second Dune film has recently been unleashed upon the world, and it is quickly catching fire and becoming the first real blockbuster hit of 2024. The film adapts the second half of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi fantasy novel, Dune, with the first half having been depicted in Villeneuve’s first Dune outing back in 2021. This new film is being hailed as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of the decade so far, as Villeneuve has built upon the strengths of his previous outing and produced a sequel that some are comparing to the likes of The Dark Knight and The Empire Strikes Back.
Dune: Part Two
4.5/5
- Release Date
- March 1, 2024
- Runtime
- 166 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
There is a lot to talk about regarding Dune: Part Two, but many people are already looking to the future and discussing what Villeneuve’s conclusion to this film trilogy, an adaptation of the second book – Dune Messiah, might look like. There are a few major ways in which the story of Messiah is directly set up in this new film, the most prominent of which is the brief appearance of Anya Taylor-Joy in one of Paul “Muad’Dib” Atreides’ numerous visions of the future. So, who exactly is Taylor-Joy playing in her brief appearance, and what can we expect from her in the sequel? Here’s what you should know.
Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides in Dune 2
She Plays Paul’s Unborn Sister
One of the key developments in Dune: Part Two is Paul’s mother, Jessica, drinking the Water of Life in order to become a new Reverend Mother for the Fremen people living on Arrakis. However, in doing so, she grants the same prescient abilities and hyper-intelligence to the unborn that she is pregnant with. This child is Paul’s sister, Alia Atreides, and while she is not born during the events of the second Dune film, her presence is clearly felt throughout it. Alia communicates with her mother telepathically and spiritually (with Taylor-Joy providing her voice), and urges her to further lay the groundwork for Paul’s rise to become the prophesized messiah called Lisan al Gaib.
Later in the film, Paul also drinks the Water of Life, completing his journey to become both the Lisan al Gaib and the Kwisatz Haderach by surviving that which no other man has ever survived. During the intense and life-threatening hallucinogenic vision he has upon drinking, Paul sees many things, including the surface of Arrakkis covered by an ocean and his sister, now an adult played by Anya Taylor-Joy, speaking directly to him. This is the only time that Taylor-Joy is ever explicitly shown as Alia, but it’s a promise for the future of the series that Villeneuve is sure to deliver on.
In the first book, Alia’s role in Dune plays out quite differently. There is a time jump of several years between the first half (seen in Villeneuve’s first film) and the second half (depicted in Part Two). During this time jump, Jessica gives birth to Alia, and it is immediately clear that her daughter is immensely powerful.
Even as an infant, her mental capacity and capability exceeds those of most grown adults, and she has incredible powers of foresight that even rival Paul’s. As a child only four years old, she plays a key role in the latter half of the story, even going as far as taking part in the assault upon the Emperor’s army and killing the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen herself.
Alia is Key to Dune Messiah’s Story
Now, looking ahead to the story of Dune 3, which will likely be based on Frank Herbert’s Dune: Messiah, Alia’s part in the story continues to grow. There is yet another substantial time jump between the first and the second book, this time spanning about 12 years. As such, when we see Alia again in Messiah, she has grown into a 16-year-old teenager whose abilities have only gotten more powerful with time.
She is a key figurehead of the Fremen religion headed by her brother Paul, whose jihad – or “holy war” as it’s referred to in the films – has spread throughout the universe. As Emperor, Paul’s power has grown beyond measure, and Alia has been a central figure and advisor to her brother throughout all of it.
One of the key story points of Messiah is the return of Paul’s friend and mentor, Duncan Idaho, from the dead. Played by Jason Momoa in Villeneuve’s first film, Idaho was killed by the Padishah Emperor’s elite Sarduakar warriors. However, he is brought back to life in the form of a biological clone called a golah and given the name Hayt. Throughout Messiah, Alia develops a close relationship with Hayt / Duncan, which eventually turns into the first romantic relationship she has experienced.
Alia is frequently left playing catch-up as her brother continues to expand his influence and control over the universe, though she is also actively being prepped to follow in his footsteps if he fails to produce an heir. Without going into details, she continues to have a key role in other Dune novels beyond Messiah, including Children of Dune. So, if the Dune film series does continue to grow even after Messiah’s film adaptation – which Villeneuve says will be his last outing with the series – Taylor-Joy will continue to be a central face for the franchise.
How Might Denis Villeneuve Adapt Her Story?
Casting Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides gives some insight into how we can expect Villeneuve to adapt the story of Messiah. As has already been seen with the minimized time jump between the first two films, Villeneuve clearly has no problem shifting the timeline of Dune to match his vision for the story. Given that Taylor-Joy is 27, not 16, and her character isn’t even born yet by the end of Part Two, we may be looking at a much larger time jump between this film and the next, likely 25 years at the very least.
Depicting Alia as an adult in Messiah, rather than as a teenager, may have a dramatic effect on her character’s personal arc in the story, though it is also a change that will make the story simpler to bring to a blockbuster film.
This is largely due to the age gap between Alia and Duncan Idaho, which can feel pretty strange when reading the book, given that it is a romantic relationship between a teenager (even if she has a mental capacity far exceeding her age) and an adult man. While Momoa is still 17 years older than Taylor-Joy, a romantic relationship between someone in their late 20s and someone in their mid-40s would work a lot better for the film adaptation than it would if it was a teenager and someone in their mid-40s.
