Dune 2 stars became "absolutely fluent" in the Fremen's fictional language, says director Denis Villeneuve
Feb. 21, 2024Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya were among the ones who had to learn the lingo
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve says he made several of its stars go to “Fremen school” to familiarize them with the Arrakis natives' fictional language.
“I’m not joking,” the filmmaker, who enlisted the help of linguist David J. Peterson, inventor of Game of Thrones' Dothraki lingo, explained in a new interview withEntertainment Weekly. “They took weeks to learn the language and came on set absolutely fluent. There was even a dialect coach on set. Everybody took it so seriously, and I was so moved to see Timothée [Chalamet] give whole speeches in Chakobsa.”
Dune 2is set to pick up where the original leaves off, with Paul, Jessica, and Chani (Zendaya) making a play for power against Christopher Walken’s ruthless Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV as the former steps into his role as the Lissan Al-Gaib, the prophesied world saver. Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Rebecca Ferguson also feature.
“Those five days on set, speaking in a language that was conceived for the films, I was just savoring those days,” Chalamet added. “I wanted to bring justice not just to the arc of Paul, but also to Dune. And I knew that those were the days. Even when we rehearsed that scene, we went all in.”
“I remember coming to watch that day, and usually it’s all lighthearted, like, ‘Hey, what’s up?'” said Zendaya. “But that day I was like, ‘Oh no, he’s serious right now.'”
Dune: Part Two releases on March 1. While we wait, check out our list of the most excitingupcoming moviesheading our way.
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.
Benedict Cumberbatch is returning as Doctor Strange in Avengers: Doomsday alongside Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.
All of the OG MCU Avengers should return as villains, starting with Avengers: Doomsday
Get hundreds of hours of RPG goodness for $30 with this bundle of 8 games that includes the first two Baldur’s Gate games, which are absolutely worth playing
