Zendaya Is Out for Blood in Her Epic New Movie

in Movies

Zendaya dune 2

Credit: Warner Bros

Zendaya is shedding what remains of her Disney kid image in her new upcoming movie, which promises to reveal (and maybe even revel in) a darker, more violent side of the acclaimed actress and sometime singer.

Zendaya dune 2
Credit: Warner Bros

Related: Zendaya Performs Live for the First Time in 8 Years at Coachella 2023

A new trailer has dropped for Dune Part 2, the sequel to director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (2021), and it sure seems to focus on the ferocity of Zendaya’s character Chani. Behold:

Zendaya Will Be a More Prominent Character in ‘Dune Part 2’

While the first movie focused primarily on the character of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his battle to survive in the desert world of Arrakis, Denis Villeneuve has stated that Dune Part 2 will essentially feature Zendaya as a co-lead. This makes sense, considering the last movie concluded on the cliffhanger of Paul linking up with the indigenous Fremen people, of which Zendaya’s Chani is a prominent member.

‘Dune Part 2’ Is a War Movie

It also makes sense that we will see Zendaya in a more bloodthirsty mode, considering that Denis Villeneuve has described the movie as an “epic war movie” that will focus on the battle for control of Arrakis/Dune. On one side, we will have Zendaya as Chani, Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as his mother, Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as former Atreides retainer Gurney Halleck, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar, a Fremen chieftain.

On the other, more sinister side, we have the Harkonnens, including Baron Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgard) and his nephews Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista) and newcomer Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), who are unnervingly pale and hairless in the new trailer.

christopher walken dune 2
Credit: Warner Bros

Finally, in a more ambiguous position, we finally get to see Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV, the Emperor of the Known Universe, and Florence Pugh as his daughter Irulan. The movie will also include Léa Seydoux as the Bene Gesserit Lady Margot and Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam, both of whom are not exactly allies to anyone.

florence pugh dune 2
Credit: Warner Bros

Zendaya Is Expanding Past Disney and Marvel

It is fair to say that Zendaya is best known for her early work in the Disney Channel sitcoms Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover, and her ongoing role as MJ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man films alongside real-life romantic partner Tom Holland.

Related: Tom Holland and Zendaya Breakup Rumors Surface Online Amid ‘Spider-Man 4’ Shutdown

More recently, however, Zendaya has been choosing more adult-oriented, daring roles like the controversial HBO drama Euphoria and the upcoming risque sports film Challengers. As such, portraying a bloodthirsty desert warrior out to savagely murder her enemies seems increasingly on-brand.

in Movies

Comments Off on Zendaya Is Out for Blood in Her Epic New Movie