Dune Movie Character Chani, will be the protagonist of the sequel
Dune the film adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel hits movie theaters on September 3. The film directed by Denis Villeneuve is only the first installment in the history of Paul Atreides played by Timothée Chalamet. Plans are for a sequel to take place to continue narrating what Herbert wrote. Although the actor from Call Me By Your Name will be the protagonist of the film in the second installment things will change. Villeneuve has announced that Chani, the character of Zendaya, will be the leader in the sequel.
As the director points out in an interview in the Italian magazine Il Venerdì di Repubblica:
I can't wait to shoot the second part of 'Dune' and for [Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya] to get back together. Knowing that in the next chapter Zendaya will be the protagonist of the story
Don't read on if you haven't read the book or don't want to know what happens to Chani at the end of Herbert's novel:
Dune begins with the transfer of the Atreides family from Caladan to Arrakis. The latter is a very important planet for the galaxy since only on it is the precious spice known as melange. The emperor sends Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) and his entourage to Arrakis to supervise the extraction of this substance. After being betrayed and attacked by the Harkonnen, Paul Atreides and his mother, Bene Gesserit concubine Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), must wander the desert to escape certain death.
During their escape, they are picked up by a group of Fremen, the indigenous people of Arrakis. The leader of the clan is Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and his niece is Chani. After a couple of years, and after Paul and his mother are welcomed by the Fremen as part of their clan, the protagonist and Chani have a son. She becomes Paul's concubine when he regains the power of Arrakis and agrees to marry the emperor's daughter, Princess Irulan.
In the history of Dune, marriages are conducted primarily for political interests. In Paul's case - and also in his father Leto's with Jessica - his concubine Chani is the one he really is in love with. In Herbert's novel, the character of Chalamet is the protagonist throughout the entire book, so it will be interesting to see how Villeneuve prioritizes Chani in the sequel.
Dune completes his cast with Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Rabban, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Stephen Henderson as Thufir Hawat, David Dastmalchian as Piter de Vries, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen. Mohiam, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Kynes, and Chen Chang as Dr. Wellington Yueh.
Source: la Repubblica