After the large three hours of spice, sandworms, and Sardaukar that’s Dune: Half Two, you could end up with some questions. Given the movie’s cataclysmic ending, your largest one may simply be, “What on the earth comes subsequent?” Or, “When will director Denis Villeneuve begin capturing a 3rd Dune film, as a result of I would like it pronto?”

Not like Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), I can not see by the storms of time and provide you with any foresight on the timeline of Villeneuve’s subsequent strikes. (Though he has stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the script for a 3rd Dune is nearly accomplished.) As Mashable’s resident Dune-head, what I can do is provide up some perception as to why Paul goes full house despot, make clear any of the extra granular questions you’ll have, and dig into what we are able to anticipate from an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah.

From Paul’s battle towards Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler) to Chani’s (Zendaya) game-changing closing determination, let’s get into the ending of Dune: Half Two.

Paul embraces the position of Lisan al-Gaib.

Timothée Chalamet in “Dune: Half Two.”
Credit score: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Photos

The Bene Gesserit propaganda concerning the Lisan al-Gaib, a messianic determine who will free the Fremen, haunts Paul all through Dune: Half Two. If he takes on the title, he might have a greater probability at getting revenge on Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV (Christopher Walken) for sanctioning the assault that destroyed Home Atreides. But he would even be taking management of Arrakis’s indigenous Fremen folks, betraying Chani, and kickstarting the holy conflict he sees in his visions of the long run. Because of these visions, Paul spends many of the movie fearing his new worshippers and preventing towards the inevitable. He is aware of that if he goes to the south of Arrakis and meets the fundamentalist Fremen dwelling there (a brand new addition by Villeneuve and co-writer Jon Spaihts), there will likely be no stopping the oncoming jihad.

Nonetheless, the arrival of the brutal Feyd-Rautha on Arrakis proves catastrophic for the Northern Fremen. When Feyd’s forces destroy Sietch Tabr, Paul realizes that victory will solely come if he strengthens his prescience. To do this, he should go south and drink the Water of Life — the spice-rich bile of a drowned child sandworm — that solely Reverend Moms can drink. Upon doing so, he discovers that his mom Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is the daughter of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), that means that he shares blood with the mortal enemy of Home Atreides. The revelation unlocks a slim path ahead for Paul to overcome the encroaching Harkonnens and Imperial forces. However as he tells Jessica, the best way they win will likely be by being Harkonnens — in different phrases, by being monsters themselves.

So, at a gathering of the Fremen leaders, Paul does the monstrous factor he’d all the time feared and claims the title of Lisan al-Gaib. By doing so, he asserts his dominance over the complete Fremen inhabitants and prepares to make use of them in a single final stand towards the Emperor and the Harkonnens.

Paul and the Fremen battle the Harkonnens and Imperial Sardaukar for Arrakis.

Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler in “Dune: Half Two.”
Credit score: Niko Tavernise

Emperor Shaddam IV and his daughter Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) arrive on Arrakis to reply Paul’s play for the throne (and to to scold the Harkonnens for mucking up spice manufacturing). Thanks to an enormous storm, the Atreides household atomics, and the may of sandworms, Paul and his Fremen forces make straightforward work of the Harkonnens and the Emperor’s Sardaukar troopers. Within the battle, Paul kills Baron Harkonnen, whereas Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) takes down Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista).

However Paul is not simply preventing for management of Arrakis. He needs the Emperor to face penalties for his makes an attempt to stamp out Home Atreides. He challenges the Emperor for the throne, and Feyd steps as much as be Shaddam’s champion. The 2 face off in a knife duel to the loss of life — known as Kanly within the books — which Paul narrowly wins. In beating the Emperor’s champion, he additionally beats the Emperor, subsequently permitting him to take his place.

What’s subsequent for the Harkonnens and the Emperor?

Stellan Skarsgård and Austin Butler in “Dune: Half Two.”
Credit score: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Photos

Feyd’s loss of life marks the top of Home Harkonnen as we all know it, however the bloodline is preserved by Marie, Feyd’s baby with Woman Margot Fenring (Léa Seydoux) who’s but to be born. Nonetheless, since she solely seems in Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s novel Paul of Dune, do not anticipate to see her pop up in Dune Messiah anytime quickly. The Harkonnens, with all their bald, freaky villainy, are gone.

Do not assume for a second that the nice guys have gained, although. At this level, Paul is as removed from a hero as they arrive. He takes Princess Irulan as his spouse and forces the Emperor to kiss his ring — with a bratty stomp in addition! Regardless of his present of energy, the opposite Nice Homes of the Landsraad aren’t blissful about Paul’s rise. They refuse to simply accept Paul’s ascendancy, at which level Paul utters 4 chilling phrases: “Ship them to paradise.” Primarily, kill all of them. The holy conflict Paul prevented for months lastly begins in earnest.

Paul’s command to the zealous Fremen is definitely a brand new addition by Villeneuve and Spaihts. In Herbert’s work, the jihad begins within the years between Dune and Dune Messiah, unseen by the reader. Right here, the selection to have Paul explicitly declare the conflict himself emphasizes his flip in direction of exploiting the Fremen and oppressing the Imperium. It is solely a shade of what is to return, however it’s horrific sufficient that Chani leaves him and the Fremen and units outs on her personal.

The place is Chani going?

Zendaya in “Dune: Half Two.”
Credit score: Niko Tavernise

The ultimate shot of Dune: Half Two just isn’t one in all Paul embracing his new energy, however somewhat of a livid, decided Chani making ready to experience a sandworm off into the desert, away from Paul and his conquering forces. Her departure marks a significant shift from the unique Dune, the place she stood by Paul’s aspect by thick and skinny.

Regardless that this ending may be a shock for e-book followers, Dune: Half Two does trace at Chani’s new path all through. She’s extra defiant of Paul and extra skeptical of the Lisan al-Gaib prophecy, however that does not cease her from loving him. Maybe most telling is a line shared between them in a romantic second: “You’ll by no means lose me, Paul Atreides,” Chani says. “Not so long as you stay who you might be.” In fact, by the top of Dune: Half Two, Paul is now not the Paul Atreides Chani got here to know and love. He is the Lisan al-Gaib, the Kwisatz Haderach, and her folks’s latest oppressor. There’s nothing for Chani however anguish if she stays with him.

So, the place is she going now? Once more, in Herbert’s work she stays with Paul all through, so it is a new twist from Villeneuve and Spaihts. Perhaps she’ll keep true to her warrior roots and work to battle towards Paul. Nonetheless, since he is amplified his prescience, and since he has all of the Fremen at his again, will probably be probably the most uphill of uphill battles. May Chani muster up a resistance power of her personal?

What’s subsequent for Dune?

The sandworms storm the Sardaukar in “Dune: Half Two.”
Credit score: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Photos

Chani leaving Paul is the largest swap between Herbert’s books and Villeneuve’s movies, but it helps underscore Paul’s brutal betrayal of the chums — now followers — he’d made on Arrakis. Aside from this shift, many of the items are in place for Dune Messiah, the second e-book within the Dune sequence and the movie Villeneuve has proposed as concluding his Dune trilogy. With out getting too deep into spoilers, here is what you’ll be able to anticipate from the remainder of Paul’s story.

Dune Messiah picks up 12 years after Paul turns into Emperor. The jihad rages on, the Fremen have conquered a lot of the universe in Paul’s title, and 61 billion persons are useless. Paul makes an attempt to make use of his powers to steer humanity down the trail of least destruction, however there are forces at play towards him. The Bene Gesserit have crafted a plot to dethrone him, one that features the involvement of Princess Irulan. (In case you’re aggravated we did not get a lot Pugh on this film, you will be blissful to know she’s a significant participant going ahead.) Herbert introduces a brand new society within the Tleilaxu as nicely, whose genetic manipulation kind of resurrects a personality we misplaced within the first Dune.

Paul’s sister Alia Atreides (Anya Taylor-Pleasure) additionally performs a a lot bigger position in Dune Messiah, particularly contemplating how little we see of her in Dune: Half Two. Because of Jessica ingesting the Water of Life whereas pregnant, Alia has all of the capabilities of a totally skilled Bene Gesserit Reverend Mom, making her a worthwhile asset to Paul in his makes an attempt to stay in energy.

Then there’s the matter of Chani. She and Paul are nonetheless very a lot collectively in Dune Messiah, despite the fact that he is married to Princess Irulan. Their relationship, and Paul’s makes an attempt to guard her from hurt, are on the coronary heart of the novel. But their separation on the finish of Dune: Half Two complicates this side of the story, and will have greater penalties down the road, adaptation-wise.

Paul does inform Jessica that he is foreseen Chani coming to grasp his selections, so there’s an opportunity they will reconcile in Villeneuve’s tackle Dune Messiah. However since Paul’s prescience is not all the time correct, is that this imaginative and prescient sure to return to move? Can Chani actually forgive Paul after every little thing he is accomplished? Or will Villeneuve depart farther from Herbert’s work in relation to Chani’s destiny? We cannot get the solutions to those questions till the discharge of a possible Dune Messiah, so to that I say: “Let the sequels stream.”

Dune: Half Two is now in theaters.