Chani? Stilgar? Paul?!? Who's who in the new Dune character posters

Denis Villeneuve's sprawling sci-fi epic makes its weirding way to theaters this October

By Matt Schimkowitz | July 20, 2021 | 4:31am

Film Features Dune

Chani? Stilgar? Paul?!? Who's who in the new Dune character posters

Stellan Skarsgård, Timothée Chalamet, and Zendaya Image: Warner Bros.

After years of waiting, Denis Villeneuve’s much-anticipated adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune is almost here, and Warner Bros. has the character posters to prove it. Coming October 22, Dune has been surfing the back of a sandworm named “Delayed” for the past year due to the pandemic and a director who surprisingly doesn’t want their sprawling epic dumped on HBO Max like a bag of moldy Space Jam: A New Legacys.

Warner Bros. is busy getting ready audiences for the weirding world of Dune, introducing us to words and names like Arrakis, Muad’Dib, and Paul. In that spirit, the studio released a series of character posters, which we’ve put in a handy slideshow along with brief character descriptions. For those who want to go in completely fresh, it should be noted that there are some minor spoilers throughout. Like, so minor we’re probably a little much by even calling them spoilers, but still, we figured we’d warn you.

Timothée Chalamet is Paul

One of the funniest things about Dune is that the main character’s name is Paul. Well, Paul Atreides, to be exact. Much like Star Wars, even in a galaxy far, far away, people still have common Earth names. Go figure. But Timothée Chalamet plays Paul Atreides, your main character and the heir to the House of Atreides. He’s something of a space prince who may be the prophesized messiah to the Fremen, the enslaved people of Arrakis (also known as Dune).

Zendaya is Chani

, Zendaya is Chani, a Fremen woman who learns the magical martial arts style of the “weirding way” from Paul. She’s also, get this, the object of Paul’s affection and appears in many of our hero’s dreams. A born fighter, Chani is in charge of leading Paul through the desert and keeping him out of trouble. She fails in the latter. Update: Corrections were made to Chani’s character description. She does not train Paul in the weirding, but rather is trained by him. Jessica trains Paul in the weirding. We regret the error.

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Oscar Isaac is Duke Leto

This happy camper is Duke Leto (played by Oscar Isaac), an aristocrat and Paul’s father. Charged with cleaning up the resource-rich Arrakis, which is crumbling under the rule of the evil Baron Harkonnen, Leto Atreides goes to Dune to supplant the Baron. Plus, he’s got a teen boy to raise! Needless to say, his work-life balance is all out of whack.

Rebecca Ferguson is Lady Jessica

Much like how Paul is a funny name in the world of Dune, so too is Jessica. The concubine to Duke Leto and mother to Paul, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is a “Bene Gesserit,” which is somewhere between a space witch and a space nun. Jessica has supernatural powers that she uses to aid Paul in his journey.

Stellan Skarsgård is The Baron

If you can believe it, this Voldemort-looking dude is your bad guy. Stellan Skarsgård plays Baron Harkonen, whose goal is to destroy the Atreides line and remain in control of Arrakis, which is home to a powerful drug known as “the spice” or “melange,” which grants users longer life and superpowers. Known for being very gross, Harkonen is probably the best part of the adaptation because he’s so gross.

Jason Momoa is Duncan Idaho

Funny name alert! Duncan Idaho (played by Jason Momoa) is, essentially, Duke Leto’s right-hand man and the ambassador to the Fremen, who live on Arrakis amid sandworms. It’s a hard-knock life for the Fremen, what with the sandworms and all, which is why Duncan Idaho helps them fight. He rules.

Javier Bardem is Stilgar

The head of the Fremen tribe known as Sietch Tabr, Stilgar (Javier Bardem) leads their fight against the Harkonen regime. However, after meeting up with Paul, he becomes convinced that the young Attredis is some sort of messiah who will free the Fremen.

Josh Brolin is Gurney

Josh Brolin plays Gurney. Infamously played by Patrick Stewart in David Lynch’s adaptation, Gurney is Paul’s weapons trainer and a close friend and confidant of both Duke Leto and Lady Jessica. He’s a good guy who teaches Paul how to fight. And look at that scar. It makes you wonder how he got that scar.

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