A Comprehensive Analysis of the Dune: Part Three Trailer

Summary

Gom Jabbar: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Dune Part Three Trailer
Episode Date: March 24, 2026
Hosts: Abu and Leo
Podcast: Gom Jabbar: A Dune Podcast by Lore Party Media

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Abu and Leo deliver an energetic and in-depth breakdown of the newly released teaser trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated Dune: Part Three (Dune Messiah). The discussion is aimed at book readers and movie fans alike, with the hosts analyzing trailer details, exploring theories about adaptation choices, and reflecting on the implications for story, character arcs, and Dune’s iconic lore.

Spoiler Warning: This episode contains full spoilers for both Dune and Dune Messiah (the books).

---

Trailer Breakdown & Key Discussion Points

Opening Sequence and Initial Impressions

• Paul and Chani’s Intimate Conversation
  The trailer opens with Paul Atreides over a basin of water, his hair notably short, in contemplation with Chani about possible children’s names.

  • [05:28] Abu (Paul’s line): “Her name should be G. She would need to be strong like her mother. What if it's a boy?”
  • [05:42] Leo (Chani’s response): “I would name him little. So he would have the wisdom of his Grandfather.”

• Contextualizing the Scene
  The hosts note the uncertainty: is this a vision, a flashback, or a present-moment scene? Debate centers on whether these are hints of cut plotlines involving Leto I (the first son) or direct establishment of the twins, Leto and Ghanima, who are critically important in later books.

Time Jumps and Narrative Structure

• 17-Year Time Jump
  Citing Villeneuve, Abu notes there’s a 17-year gap from the end of Dune Part Two to the events of Messiah. The film may blur lines between past, present, and future, aligning the viewer’s experience with Paul’s prescient (future-seeing) POV.
  • [09:43] Abu: “Time will kind of be fuzzy in this film… Considering Paul's prescient abilities and how he experiences time.”

Hints at Children of Dune Content

• Inclusion of Leto & Ghanima The explicit mention and casting of the twins in the film (despite this being a Messiah adaptation) causes speculation. The hosts suspect the children will appear in prescient visions, not as full narrative participants—an “Easter egg” for book readers rather than a full plot import.
  • [14:16] Leo: “My impression is at the end of the movie… maybe Paul’s lost his vision… maybe we are very likely going to see Paul and Leto and Ghanima maybe meeting each other in a mind room toward the end.”

Visuals of Holy War and Wartime Imagery

• Portraying the Jihad The trailer’s bleak, powerful imagery—troops in battle, ruined landscapes, Fremen soldiers in rain—signals an explicit depiction of Paul’s bloody crusade, which the books described in retrospect.
  • [17:18] Abu (Paul’s voiceover): “War feeds on itself.”
  • [17:35] Abu: “The more I fight, the more enemies fight back. I’m doing the best I can to protect my family.”
  • The hosts praise Villeneuve’s approach to action and expect strong, unsettling battle scenes that externalize Messiah’s horror.

Character Reveal & Major Theories

• Robert Pattinson as Scytale First clear look at Scytale, the Tleilaxu Face Dancer, is discussed with enthusiasm. The trailer positions him with a mysterious floating sarcophagus—a major talking point.

• The Sarcophagus Debate: Edric the Guild Steersman or Hate the Ghola?
  The fandom argues fiercely whether the sarcophagus contains:

  • A) Edric, the Spacing Guild Steersman (Paul’s prescience-blinding adversary in the book).
  • B) The resurrected “ghola” (clone) Duncan Idaho, named Hate.
  • Abu leans toward the sarcophagus-as-Hate theory, pointing out the lack of visual signals that it’s a Guild tank, and emphasizing streamlining for adaptation.
    • [33:00] Leo: “Be ready for whatever it is and be hyped, because it looks sick.”
    • [33:11] Abu: “I do subscribe to the sarcophagus contains Hate theory… Edric is a character that could easily be cut.”
  • Leo is still betting on Edric but says both options are exciting and urges flexibility in fandom expectations.

New Worlds and Ecological Shifts

• Fremen on Alien Planets and in Rain
  Shots of Fremen fighting in pouring rain are described as “shocking” and possibly significant for showing the wider impact of Paul’s jihad and ecological transformation.
  • [40:00] Leo: “What a crazy idea… watching Fremen warriors… battling in the pouring rain.”
  • Discussion on possible scenes of Fremen atrocities against peaceful monks, intended to force audiences to confront the horror of Paul’s religious war.

Alia & Externalizing Internal Conflict

• Saint Alia on the Platform The trailer’s visually stunning shot of Alia (Paul’s sister) atop a platform is highlighted, as is speculation on her increased, more militant role in the adaptation.
  • [65:46] Leo: “Maybe she would be more fanatical and more let’s push the pedal to the metal than Paul.”
  • Both hosts agree Alia and Irulan may serve as vehicles for externalizing Paul’s internal political and emotional struggles, a necessary cinematic adaptation choice.

Iconic Elements & Adaptation Choices

• Face Dancing Since Scytale is explicitly named a Face Dancer, the hosts expect minimalist but definite shape-shifting on screen.
  • [52:23] Leo: “I think we are. The seeds are there. I hope they sprout and bloom.”
• Hate/Duncan Idaho Reveal Jason Momoa appears as the ghola Hate. Hosts debate the design of his “metallic” eyes, wishing for a more inhuman look to heighten the sense of his nature.
  • [49:01] Leo: “I hope we get more of an eye…this kind of inhuman, scary, inaccessible thing.”
• The Stone Burner A blue explosion sequence is strongly suggested to be the stone burner attack that blinds Paul—a pivotal event in Messiah.
  • [53:53] Abu: “This blue explosion sequence was clearly stone burner. And I think it most definitely is.”
  • [54:34] Leo: “Although the Stone Burner uses atomic fuel, it is not a nuclear bomb… it is a drilling explosive that gives off a radiation that melts eye tissue.”

Theories and Memorable Moments

• Paul’s (CGI?) Eyes Leo speculates that trailer shots have been digitally manipulated to mask Paul’s blindness, which will be revealed dramatically in the film—mirroring tactics used in other major blockbusters.
  • [62:10] Abu: “Leo’s in the Batcave, like zooming. Enhance. Zoom and enhance.”
• Chani’s Role The trailer is seen as intentionally enigmatic about Chani, but hosts argue that her and Paul's love remains essential for the story’s tragic climax.
  • [73:42] Leo: “Paul’s entire reason for doing everything…in Messiah is his love of Chani… and the relationship… present tense, and not this thing that he once had that she no longer talks to him...”
• Adaptation Respect:
  Both hosts repeatedly caution fans not to be too “married” to book details, and praise Villeneuve for finding cinematic parallels to the internal, often gloomy perspectives of Paul and others.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

On adaptation and loss:

“Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Messiah is not word for word, chapter for chapter. The story that Frank Herbert wrote. It is an adaptation. And so the story is inevitably different. And we're going to lose some things we love along the way. That’s just the nature of the beast. And Edric maybe is one of them.”
— Abu ([35:37])

On fandom speculation wars:

“I just want people to not get too married to their interpretation because that's baggage you're bringing into the movie theater that it’s just gonna take away from your experience.”
— Leo ([32:57])

On seeing war, not only hearing about it:

“It'll be very different if we see [Paul] cutting people down covered in blood on the battlefield… Denis Villeneuve is planning to deliver a little bit of that, which I’m excited about.”
— Leo ([20:49])

On internal conflict externalized:

“So much of Messiah the book is just Paul being gloomy and depressed and thinking a lot. And that just won’t translate to film… you need to externalize some of that tension…”
— Abu ([67:53])

---

Highlighted Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:28–08:10 Paul & Chani’s name discussion; theories about flashbacks and the twins.
• 09:43 Timeline/time jump discussion.
• 12:05–16:16 Theories about Children of Dune content.
• 17:18–20:49 Depiction of the holy war, Paul’s inner/outer conflict, and chants.
• 21:52–32:57 Scytale, Pattinson casting, and in-depth “sarcophagus” debate.
• 38:53–43:31 Fremen fighting in rain, religious/monastic imagery, Fremen atrocities and cultural imposition.
• 49:01–50:44 Hate’s eyes and character design.
• 53:35–56:04 Stone burner sequence and other explosive adaptation choices.
• 59:47–64:46 Theories about the trailer's visuals, especially Paul’s eyes and timeline placement.
• 64:46–68:41 Alia's role and the externalization of Paul’s inner struggle.
• 70:50–76:29 Chani’s importance to Messiah’s tragedy and faith in Villeneuve’s choices.

---

Conclusion: Final Thoughts & Hopes

• Hosts are optimistic that Villeneuve will remain true to the tragedy and emotional core of Messiah, particularly Paul and Chani’s relationship.
• Urge fans to remain open-minded and focus less on strict fidelity to every book detail—and more on the emotional and thematic impact.
• The trailer indicates stunning visuals, strong new character introductions, and a willingness to tackle head-on the most controversial and thought-provoking elements of Messiah.

Closing Note:

“First teaser. Here we are. The timer is at one hour, 26 minutes and eight seconds. Talking about a two and a half minute tease.”
— Leo ([76:46])

---

Quick Navigation

| Segment | Start Time | |---------------------------------------------|------------| | Paul & Chani’s name talk, theories | 05:28 | | Timeline / time jump | 09:43 | | Children of Dune debate | 12:05 | | Holy war, action, chant sequences | 17:18 | | Pattinson reveal & sarcophagus theories | 21:52 | | Scytale/Face Dancer adaptation talk | 51:23 | | Hate’s reveal, design debates | 49:01 | | Stone burner explosion | 53:35 | | Paul’s CGI eyes theory | 59:47 | | Alia’s role, adaptation strategies | 64:46 | | Chani’s characterization, book-to-film | 70:50 |

---

This summary captures the energy, humor, and insight showcased by Abu and Leo in breaking down the Dune Messiah trailer, providing both fans and newcomers a comprehensive and enthusiastic guide to what awaits in Villeneuve’s cinematic conclusion.

Transcript

[Abu]

Today on the show, we're doing some chanting.

[Leo]

Yeah.

[Abu]

And we're possibly taking some lsd.

[Leo]

Lsd.

[Abu]

Lsd.

[Leo]

Lsd, lsd, lsd. Chest bumping with lsd. Welcome to Gom Jabbar, your guide to the iconic world of Dune. We'll be exploring the themes, philosophies and characters found in the sandy depths of this vast universe. From Frank Herbert's groundbreaking novels to the adaptations on film and tv. My name is Leo.

[Abu]

My name's Abu.

[Leo]

Oh, and today on the show, we are talking about the trailer that just dropped, the teaser that just dropped for Denis Villeneuve's third and final film in the Dune franchise, Dune Messiah. So exciting.

[Abu]

So exciting. Can you believe it, folks? Before we get into all of that though, folks, we gotta take care of some housekeeping.

[Leo]

Indeed we do. And first up is our spoiler warning. Now this is very important, folks. Listen carefully. Today includes spoilers for Dune and Dune Messiah, the books. So if you want to protect yourself from spoilers, the best thing you could do is go read Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert and then come back listen to this episode to build up some hype around the movie that's going to be coming out in December.

[Abu]

That's right. And if you're going to go do that, read along with us. We have book club episodes breaking down Dune Messiah chapter by chapter on our feed. So scroll back in the feedback from a couple years ago we covered that book. Check it out, read along with us. We'll give you an in depth read along of that incredible book in preparation for the film. And of course, up top, we have to give a huge shout out to our Kwezads Haderach level patrons, Daniel Dion, Seth Redden Greer, Brad Hutchins, Kevin Mahanrum and Roger Young. Folks, you will be the first five inductees into our personal Gom Jabbar Kizarate. You will be our most ardent and loyal followers.

[Leo]

Yeah.

[Abu]

Because your generosity knows no bounds. And that's the foundation we want to build our following on. We thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. Our gratitude also extends, of course, to all of our patrons at every level who build the foundation upon which this cult, I mean, podcast is run.

[Leo]

Yeah. And we're going to have to have our Kwisatz Haderach level patrons draw straws to see who ends up being Korba. Really? The shortest straw. For sure. For sure. But hey, if you are not in a position right now to be a monthly supporter on Patreon, we also have a one time tip link that's in our show notes, it's a buy me a coffee link. Another great way to help us keep the lights on here at Gom Jabbar. Okay, enough housekeeping. Yes, let's talk about today's episode. We are going to break down what happens in the 2 and a half minute teaser trailer, all on brand. This is going to be like an hour and a half long episode. So excited for that.

[Abu]

Lock in.

[Leo]

We're going to dive into some of the blink and you'll miss it details that we noticed from the source material. Maybe some of the things that are in the trailer, some of the things that are notably missing from the trailer. And after that, we'll share our impressions and any lingering questions we have. And we're going to talk about what we can expect based on this first glimpse we have of Dune Messiah.

[Abu]

That's right. Okay, folks, get ready, take a breath. We're going to come back after the break and we're going to dive into this trailer. We'll see you in a minute. Protein is now at Starbucks and it's

[Leo]

never tasted so good.

[Abu]

You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of our new protein lattes or matcha. Try it today at Starbucks.

[Leo]

Zootopia 2 has come home to Disney Plus. Let's go get ready for a new case.

[Abu]

We're the greatest partners of all time. New friends, Gary the Snake and your last name, the snake Dream team. New habitats.

[Ad Voice 1]

Zootopia has a secret reptile population.

[Leo]

You can watch the record breaking phenomenon at home. Zootopia 2 now available on Disney Plus. Rated PG. And right now you can get Disney plus and Hulu for just 4.99amonth for three months with a special limited time offer. Ends March 24th. After three months, Plan Auto renews at $12.99 a month. Terms apply. Welcome back everybody. Oh, I hope you enjoyed your break and I hope you're ready to talk about Dune Messiah. So let's kick off our discussion about what actually happens in this this teaser. And this teaser opens on a shot of Paul Atreides over a basin of water, his hair cut short. He's got that stylish low, low number like a 2 on the electric razor. And the first montage of scenes accompanies dialogue between Paul and Chani discussing potential children's names. If we have a girl, what will we name her?

[Abu]

Her name should be G. She would need to be strong like her mother. What if it's a boy?

[Leo]

I would name him little. So he would have the wisdom of his Grandfather.

[Abu]

Now, during this exchange, we get sweeping shots over some dunes. This is a Dune movie, folks. We're gonn see desert. And then we see a shot of Paul and Chani as they are talking. They're sort of cuddled up inside of a still tent. Chani has that iconic blue headband. And there's some theories about where and when this shot could be taking place. Is this a flashback to an off screen moment from Dune Part 1 or Dune Part 2? Is this a vision of Paul Atreides? Is this a scene in Dune Part 3? We don't know.

[Leo]

We don't know. It is strange that they are. That this looks like a flashback, but they are talking about children's names. That seems bizarre. People have pointed out the Nizoni scarf is a symbol of a relationship or maybe a pregnancy. So is this. Is this a scene that we didn't see from Dune Part two where they are hooking up? Maybe she is actually pregnant with their first son and they're talking names. Who knows? Might be a little bit bold to drop that on us. I feel like her being pregnant at the end of the second movie is a fun reveal, but might catch certain viewers off guard nevertheless. A lot of questions we already have and we're eight frames into this trailer.

[Abu]

Yeah, a lot of questions about Chani in general, about this film and how it's going to handle it. I will add, I think the more that I think about it and the more that we chat about it, we just had a live stream with a bunch of our listeners and viewers talking through the trailer with them as a group. And there was a lot of discussion of Leto the first, the first child playing a role in the film. The more I think about it, the more that feels unlikely, it feels intentional that that plot point was cut out of the first two films. And I guess I can't wrap my head around how late to the first would randomly be introduced and then killed off again randomly. That feels like sort of a wasted plot arc to throw in rather than lean into just, Chani is pregnant with the twins that we know and have casted for this film.

[Leo]

I hear you. I think I am a little bit more team. Maybe she is pregnant with their first kid and maybe they don't know at the end of that movie. And I think you actually might have been the one to bring this up. But like the possibility of that child being born and then dying as a motivator for her to seek out Paul.

[Abu]

Yeah, that's true.

[Leo]

Like, you should know that this happened and Paul being like, and you should know, babe, I've changed. Get back with me. And she's like, oh, my God, you're great. You're hot.

[Abu]

Look at my new hairdo, babe. I shaved it all off.

[Leo]

I love the new.

[Abu]

I've changed.

[Leo]

She's like, as it was written, the hairdo looks great. Yeah.

[Abu]

Irulan. I don't even love her.

[Leo]

I don't even love her. It's been eight years since we last talked. I haven't touched her once, you know, that sort of thing.

[Abu]

So I think that's a good point, though.

[Leo]

Yeah, I do think that that is a possibility. And I feel like there are landmines there that would be easy to again, diminish Chani's agency. And suddenly she's just kind of driven reactively by this thing that's happening to her. But rather than. I absolutely do not think if she is pregnant at the end of the first movie, that it could be the twins. To be clear, I think that that would be such a departure that doesn't work with almost anything else in the movie.

[Abu]

Yeah.

[Leo]

So I think if anything, maybe it is Leto the first, Leto the forgotten, so to speak. And we'll just have to wait to get confirmation one way or the other. Maybe a final trailer before the movie in December will show us enough to

[Abu]

maybe make a more educated to connect some more dots. Yeah, that's true. I mean, Denis Villeneuve has confirmed in a Q and A that There is a 17 year time jump between the end of Dune Part 2 and the story that he'll be telling in Dune Part 3. He didn't confirm whether all of Dune Part 3 will take place 17 years after or whether we'll see. We'll continue to see flashbacks. I think time will kind of be fuzzy in this film. Considering Paul's prescient abilities and how he experiences time. I think the viewer will also somewhat experience time as sort of like the past, present and future all happening at once and interconnected, which I think would be an interesting way to tell this story and could be a way to include, for example, the twins Ganima and Layta, who have been cast, but include them in a way where they aren't critical to the story. Maybe they're only present in prescient visions that Paul sees.

[Leo]

Yeah, I think that's a great point. Yeah. Something in the wording of Villeneuve, the way he answered that question, makes me think we're gonna start the movie before the 17 years and pick up after. But again, it's hard to Say we're grasping at, like, individual words in one interview at one point. You know, maybe we just wait and see a little bit more. But this is also where, in the trailer, in the teaser, the footage starts to take on a darker tone, right? We get a quick shot of Fremen troops on some sort of carrier as it lands, beginning to disembark. Kind of a fun visual parallel to Paul Atreides and Leto and the rest of House Atreides arriving on Arrakis. Very cool. And then we get a shot of Duke Leto. Speak of the devil. His signet ring being passed from one set of hands to another. Now, our live chat that you mentioned, Whose hands? That's the question. And when is this happening? Is actually another huge question, because in our live chat, one theory was that this is Paul handing his signet ring to Alia at the very end of the movie, saying, you're in charge now, before he walks into the desert. And honestly, I like that a lot. I really like that theory a lot. I could see it also just being insignificant. Who's to say?

[Abu]

Who's to say? Okay, I wanted to pause here and just check in on our feelings about something we have chatted about before. We talked about these theories flying around that this film will meld in a bunch of plot from Children of Dune, the third book in the Dune series. Because Leto and Ganima's names have now very explicitly been name dropped in this trailer, and because both characters have been cast, there have been two young actors that have taken on those roles for this film. We don't know how they're going to be incorporated. We don't get a single glance of them in this trailer, as far as we know. So have your feelings changed, Leo, since the last time we chatted? Do you now think there will be more Children of Dune in this movie than we first saw?

[Leo]

No. I think I was surprised to hear Leto and Ghanima, for sure, in this, like, first teaser of the third movie. Like, considering the distance right now between Chani and Paul, it seems very bold to introduce the idea of them even having children in a teaser for the third movie. But again, maybe this is Villeneuve softening people who haven't read the books to the idea of them getting back together, that this isn't a burned bridge that's never being rebuilt, that this is something that could happen. I still think Villeneuve has been very clear that he wants to adapt Messiah, and really, no further than that. I think what you're saying is absolutely true. We're gonna get similar to seeing Alia in Dune Part 2 as a fully grown woman in a still suit on a Dune. My impression is at the end of the movie, maybe Paul's lost his vision akin to when he borrows the baby Leto's eyes to see Scytale. Maybe along those lines where he's having conversations with Leto rather than it being this kind of disembodied voice in his head. We saw Paul and Jessica step aside into this kind of mind room in Dune Part 2 when they have the conversation about him being Harkonnen and finding that kind of middle path forward. I think we are very likely going to see Paul and Leto and Ghanima maybe meeting each other in a sort of mind room toward the end. That's my sort of off the cuff.

[Abu]

That's fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Leo]

Bet. I think that that could work, but I don't know. What about you? Are you convinced we are now getting a six hour movie that's also going to cover all of the events of Children of Doom? Who do you think is going to play Faradin?

[Abu]

Oh, my God.

[Leo]

Who's playing Velazza? Tigers.

[Abu]

Oh, my goodness. Well, I mean, the Laza tigers have to be Andy Serkis, of course.

[Leo]

Oh, my God. Yeah. Mocap suits Andy Serkis and Benedict Cumberbatch

[Abu]

as Lazarus pair Laza tigers. Yeah. Make it happen. I completely agree with you with what you said. And honestly, I love your theory that maybe near the end of the film, perhaps even after Paul has lost his sight, after the stone burner, he begins to see perhaps very vivid visions of his future children as older teenagers, young adults. So I think they will exist in this film merely as prescient visions. I think Denny brought them into the film because he understands the children are such a core part of the love story between Paul and Chani. And in order for that love story to land off the page and on the screen, we need to. We need to see the kids. We need to see some. Some part of their family and the tragedy of them losing each other, you know, losing their family. And so I think that that is how the kids will be used in this film. I do not think any plot points from Children of Dune will be brought into this film. I think the children will be used in visions that maybe hint, maybe Easter egg hint at Children of Dune, but I don't think we're getting like straight up plot points brought in. We're not getting lots of tigers.

[Leo]

Yeah. Even Paul saying, I'm not ready to die or I can't Die yet at the end of the trailer, I think really signifies this is going to be the story of Paul Atreides as he ends at the end of Messiah.

[Abu]

I agree.

[Leo]

Now the teaser continues. We get a sequence of shots that appear to take us straight into Paul's holy war. Again, the word jihad has not yet been used in these adaptations. Probably won't get it, but that rages for 12 years between Dune and Dune Messiah.

[Abu]

Yep.

[Leo]

We see bodies strewn on ravaged landscapes, Paul and his Fedaykin marching through these, like, burning forests and bodies half submerged in dusty, ashy water. Really poignant, dark, scary wartime imagery.

[Abu]

Yep.

[Leo]

Here's the audio from this sequence in the trailer.

[Abu]

War feeds on itself.

[Leo]

The more I fight,

[Abu]

the more enemies fight back. I'm doing the best I can to protect my family. So, as you can hear there, under Paul's pleas for an end to this war, under that voiceover, we also get him chanting in Chokobsa, which is underscored by this rhythm of pounding fists on chests, which we see in a quick shot of Paul and Alia surrounded by what appears to be Fremen warriors. Alia is walking down the line of Fremen warriors, sort of pounding chests as they are rhythmically chanting. Perhaps some sort of pre war ceremony taking place. Maybe a pre battle sequence. We then see more flashes of war imagery. We get this very cool shot of a machine gun turret in a high tower. You know, this is a Saruman on top of Orank with a machine gun

[Leo]

going, he's got a Tommy gun. He's like, the Orai weren't doing it.

[Abu]

Sometimes the wizards got to do it himself.

[Leo]

You know, I cast spell gun.

[Abu]

Really cool shot, though. You know, we said this in our livestream when we were breaking down the trailer with our audience. But folks have, I think incorrectly, I think incorrectly criticized Villeneuve for not being able to shoot action. But I think that's completely wrong. If you haven't seen the excellent film Sicario, which is also directed by Denis Villeneuve, check that out. He's so good at filming action, intense scenes. And I think Dune Part 2 in particular showcased he can do it. And this film, with all of this war imagery, I think Villeneuve is about to flex on all of us once again and show us that my man can film an action sequence.

[Leo]

Indeed. I agree. I also wanted to say quickly, I think one of the key components of Dune and Dune Messiah is this duality of Paul, this the duke Paul and Muad'Dip the warrior. Yeah, right. And I think that having Paul's sympathetic plea for the end of the war on top of him chanting in Chakopsa, you know, spurring on these bloodthirsty Fedaykin that are going into war to kill and to sterilize and everything. I think this is just so brilliant and really shows that Villeneuve is leaning into the elements of this book that are so important. That's such a great scene, the two sides of Paul Atreides.

[Abu]

And

[Leo]

I'm so excited for this wartime imagery because I think you and I agree, it does feel missing a little bit from Frank's Messiah. And although we get a scene where Paul and Stilgar talk about this jihad and what happened, I didn't read those paragraphs, and I didn't feel transported to the battlefield to see the cards myself. It was all statistics and numbers and. Yeah.

[Abu]

Horror in hindsight. You know, this all happened in the past to the characters in Dune Messiah within the book.

[Leo]

Yeah. And so it feels like, oh, that's done and dusted. And I think a lot of readers get to that scene where they have that conversation and then move on and kind of go, yeah, But I do like Paul Atreides a lot. I think it'll be very different if we see him cutting people down covered in blood on the battlefield. And I think that, at least based on this first teaser, Denis Villeneuve is planning to deliver a little bit of that, which I'm excited about.

[Abu]

I think you're absolutely right. Couldn't agree more. Okay. Continuing with the trailer, we have Paul and Jessica in a conversation. Much of this conversation will underscore this section of the trailer. We get a shot of Bene Gesserit meeting within these shadowy halls. And this is when we get a very exciting shot that I think has gotten quite the conversation going within the Dune fandom. We get our first glimpse here of Robert Pattinson as the Tleilaxu face dancer Scytale. He's looking good. He's looking creepy.

[Leo]

Looks great. Yeah.

[Abu]

And behind Robert Pattinson is a large sarcophagus floating on suspensors, presumably being led in to what appears to be Arrakeen. Because behind the open doorway, we see some palm trees out in the open, and we see a bit of green, but we also see some. The typical color palette of Arrakis, the dull brown.

[Leo]

It looks like Arrakeen, maybe after some ecological transformation, but for sure it looks like Arakeen. This is the skin of a killer Bella. Yeah, I just wanted to make sure that that was said at some point during this trailer. So let's pause because this sarcophagus has started so many fucking conversations.

[Abu]

Yes.

[Leo]

Kicked up a lot of dust. And even during our livestream, man, as soon as we started talking about it for like 40 minutes, people were talking in chat about it. So let's talk about the two leading theories. And I am genuinely stunned at how confident is on every side of this conversation. So the first, and I would say my leading theory is that this is our glimpse of Spacing Guild steersman Edric, who is of course an important member of the conspiracy in the Messiah. He, in the book, of course, is important because his prescience, his limited prescience, is necessary to blind Paul to the conspirators meeting. He's kind of a beta test of can we blind a prescient being by having a prescient being present? And it turns out it works.

[Abu]

He's a living, breathing vpn. Can't track that IP address when Edric's in the room.

[Leo]

Yeah, everyone's just looking at porn during those meetings, 100%. And, like downloading books and stuff. It's crazy. It's no productivity at all.

[Abu]

Yeah.

[Leo]

And to be clear, in this trailer, we see the sarcophagus three times. We see it once in that shot of Scytale, he kind of turns to look at it and then back, once entering a port on the side of what looks like a large ship or a large building. And once again accompanied by an entourage as they enter the Arrakeen throne room, received by Alia in white on the throne now, in Messiah, Scytale accompanies Edric as an unassuming aide. He's kind of taken on this appearance to get a firsthand look at the insides of Arcane palace and to meet the man, the myth, the legend, Paul Muadib Atreides.

[Abu]

Yes.

[Leo]

So their appearance together in the teaser is likely leading up to Edric's meeting with Paul. Also, during our live conversation, I was pointing out that we've seen Robert Pattinson do a really wonderful kind of bumbling idiot in a number of movies. Mickey, 17. Really? Recently, one of his Personas is this, like, can't get anything right kind of fool. And I think that character with that sly kind of laughing at you look in his eyes would be really effective. And I'm really excited to see how Pattinson kind of chews through whatever scenes he's given me, too.

[Abu]

Scytale and Pattinson is something that I will have my eye on for this film. Something that I'm particularly excited to see. Yeah, same now, the other two appearances, that second appearance where we see the sarcophagus entering a port could be Edric returning to a highlighter, right? Maybe locking into the ship's control systems. That port seems to be built to exactly fit the sarcophagus and nothing else. You know, like, we joked in our livestream that, like, it's a USB port that can only fit one type of USB plug. And maybe Edric is the USB that fits into the ship's port and thus is able to help steer the highliner. That's the purpose of these Spacing Guild, steersmen and navigators. That's their whole job.

[Leo]

What just pisses me off, though, is, like, when you put the sarcophagus into the sarcophagus hole, but it's upside down, and you, like, you turn it over and you're like, oh, fuck, it doesn't feel.

[Abu]

And then it still doesn't feel. You're like, which? Fuck.

[Leo]

But then it still doesn't fit, and you're like, what the fuck? It's on your fifth attempt that the sarcophagus finally goes in, and.

[Abu]

So annoying.

[Leo]

Look at. Oh, God, dude, I hate it.

[Abu]

I wish they had built these sarcophagus better, you know? Or, like, you know, maybe come up with, like, a sarcophagus C version that you can just plug in any which way, upside down, straight ways.

[Leo]

Yeah. Apple had their lightning sarcophagus, but, like, oh, fuck, the lightning sarcophag.

[Abu]

Are you kidding me?

[Leo]

Yeah, we really need sarcophagus C. The

[Abu]

Highline report system is a mess. We got to get this straightened out is all we're saying.

[Leo]

They've got usb, C and vga. It's crazy.

[Abu]

Okay, jokes aside, the third and final appearance of this sarcophagus appears to be a scene where an entourage is carrying this sarcophagus into the throne room. We see Alia sitting on the throne, a bunch of attendants and warriors lined up along the side, and we think this is perhaps the scene where Edric presents Paul and Alia with the gift of a resurrected Duncan Idaho in the form of hate.

[Leo]

Yeah, I do want to cut in, just to clarify. We don't know if they're carrying the sarcophagus or if it's floating amongst the ranks. And I point that out only because I really need to emphasize how little fucking things we can claim about any of this. So I don't want so certain. It could be Edric floating among the men and kind of among his entourage.

[Abu]

Yeah. Or it could be people carrying A sarcophagus in. It's, like, impossible to tell. It's all cast in shadow in the shot.

[Leo]

Yeah, yeah. And this also leads us, I think, to the second. And honestly, the more time I've spent with it, the more I have to give it its. What's the saying? Its flowers, its roses. I have to give it its credit because I do think that this is still possible, that the sarcophagus is simply a fancy container for the ghola Hate, and that this is going to be the thing from which Jason Momoa, as Duncan Idaho as Hate, steps out during this kind of presenting of the gift. And I think the kind of things that convince me that this is at least possible is that first, Denis has already demonstrated that he is not afraid to cut characters. He cut out Fenring, my boy, my favorite lovely boy. Also, he cut out the two Spacing Guild representatives at the end of Part two. There were supposed to be two representatives of the Spacing Guild. They were not there. So he has already diminished the Spacing Guild. In movies, we can just watch and say, oh, yeah, he's really telling a narrow, focused story as best he can of the things that matter. Yeah. And the more we've thought about it, the more Edric doesn't fucking matter.

[Abu]

It's true. It's a tough pill to swallow, but it's true.

[Leo]

It's true. Search your feelings. You know them to be true. We had people in our chat telling us, but doesn't Edric blind? Yes. Edric hides the conspirators. We know. We run a Dune podcast.

[Abu]

We know what Edric does in the story.

[Leo]

And yet we know how it works. And yet we don't know. But we are very confident that Bee Jazz, for instance, is not going to be in the movie.

[Abu]

Yeah, yeah.

[Leo]

We don't know, but are very confident that Korba is not going to be in the movie.

[Abu]

Yep. Yep.

[Leo]

There are a lot of characters that do not need to be in the movie to tell the story of Dune Messiah. And Edric is on that list.

[Abu]

He is.

[Leo]

So let's revisit those three scenes that we see and reframe them with the idea of this being a gift. The first shot, the gift floating behind Scytale Hate, is a Tleilaxu creation. It makes sense that Scytail, a Tleilaxu, is guiding this Tleilaxu creation into the Arrakeen palace. Here I am to deliver this to Paul.

[Abu]

I also think the imagery of, like, a resurrected dead guy coming out of his sarcophagus is a little on the nose, but also on point.

[Leo]

On point. I think the idea of keeping him in this kind of container. And then the reveal of here's our gift. And it opens and he's there. I think that actually works quite well.

[Abu]

Yeah.

[Leo]

Now, the second shot of the sarcophagus entering that building. It is strange that it's a bespoke kind of hole for the sarcophagus. Sarcophagus shaped hole. But I could imagine Scytale telling Gaius Helen Mohiam, hey, we've got a gift that we're going to be giving to Paul Atreides that is going to destroy him. And as they talk about that, we see this cutaway shot of the sarcophagus being loaded onto a ship. Ooh, what's it going to reveal? And then a little bit later, we see what it contains, which is hate. And then that final shot is, of course, again, them bringing the sarcophagus in. It floating in, and then it opening to reveal immediately after Duncan Idaho on his knees, you know, kneeling before Alia. And then Paul comes in and they have their sparring sesh. So, in any case, I think it is so possible to cut Edric from the movie. I am convinced that this is still. It is a little bit up in the air. I know other content creators, apparently, people in our live chat were saying Quinn's ideas has said definitively that this is Edric. Love Quinn. He's great.

[Abu]

Yeah. Friend of the pod.

[Leo]

Friend of the pod. Yeah. Could be. I still think cutting Edric might even be a good move because he doesn't really bring that much to the book. I don't come away from the book going, oh, love Edric. What a great character. So I like bee jazz more than I like Edric. Like, bring bee jazz. Get Edric out of here, you know? But no, I think it is still up in the air. It very well could be Edric. And in fact, I'll just say, to wrap up, I want to kind of get both of our opinions. I'll just say quickly, I am still betting this is Edric. I think that when all is said and done. But where I'm at right now is when it is revealed to be Edric, I will be excited. Hell, yeah, it's Edric. If it is revealed to be the container for hate, I will also feel excited because what a cool way to reveal hate. And I just want people to not get too married to their interpretation because that's baggage you're bringing into the movie theater.

[Abu]

That it's just gonna take away from your experience.

[Leo]

Yeah. Be ready for whatever it is and be hyped because it looks sick. What about you? It looks awesome. Where are you falling in this insane debate? I know you're getting a lot of hate on Twitter.

[Abu]

I am getting a lot of hate on Twitter because I'm actually betting the opposite way that you are. I do subscribe to the Sarcophagus contains Hate theory for a number of reasons. I laid them out in our livestream. But the short version is this tank doesn't look like a tank to me. It looks like an opaque sarcophagus that opens up. I don't see any window through which Edric could be like, looking out at the world and operating things and moving around. At least not in the very brief shots of it that we got. And folks have sort of clapped back at me about that reddish glow along the top of the sarcophagus in the shot behind Scytale. But to me, that just looks like bleeding light from a lamp nearby or something. You know, like in the hall reflecting off of the surface. I don't think you can actually see anything inside the sarcophagus, which, you know, Edric is described as living inside of a tank filled with spice, through which he can see the outside world and he speaks through like a speaker to the outside world. This to me doesn't read like that at all. I could very well be wrong. But I subscribe more to the hate theory and I agree that Edric is a character that could easily be cut and in fact probably should be cut to help streamline things. Scytale should just take on all of Edric's role in the film. And so that to me makes it even more plausible that this is actually hate being transported in. And Scytale is delivering this gift to Paul and Alia in this scene. But we'll wait and see. And either way, just like you're saying, Leo, either way I will be happy because it looks great.

[Leo]

Yeah. And again, Edric sucks. Like, what a boring character. So I don't know, I also, I would be surprised if like, even Quinn in his videos is going, oh, I can't wait to see Edric, because I love him as a character. It's like, I think we're all curious about what a Guild steersman looks like in Denis universe, of course, but the reality is. But are you all going to be then disappointed? Like, let's say it is Edric and we never see the form that's in the gas. Maybe he's always a mysterious shadow and maybe you get a little bit of movement in there, but you don't really see it. Are you all going to be pissed? Like, come on. I don't know. I'm kind of wondering what the end game is for people who are so certain.

[Abu]

Yeah, I think you raise a good point that it's always difficult with an adaptation of a story you love so much to divorce your feelings of things that you love against what is necessary for the story to be told and for it to be impactful in a totally different medium and for a slightly different story to be told. Right. Denis Villeneuve's Dune Messiah is not word for word, chapter for chapter. The story that Frank Herbert wrote. It is an adaptation. And so the story is inevitably different. And we're going to lose some things we love along the way. That's just the nature of the beast. And Edric maybe is one of them.

[Leo]

That's true.

[Abu]

I don't even really love him that much.

[Leo]

But folks, I lost Fenring. I didn't get Fenring. You need to be on the same page as me. I need you to lose something too. I need everyone to be a little sour about one specific thing that doesn't actually, again, I'm not saying the first movie would have been better with Fenring. I understand. I just like Fenring, you know, so you can like Edric and then, you know, whatever.

[Abu]

That's right.

[Leo]

Anyway, let's move on to the sarcophagus. Yeah, that's where we're going to.

[Abu]

Thanks for tuning into Sarcophagus Talk, brought

[Leo]

to you by the new trending hashtag on TikTok hashtag Sarcophagus talk. Move over. Booktoking sarcophaguses sarcophagi. Anyway, we are going to take a quick break, but when we're back, we're going to be talking about the rest of this teaser. Don't go anywhere.

[Ad Voice 1]

Eczema as unpredictable, but you can flare less with evglis, a once monthly treatment for moderate to severe eczema. After an initial four month or longer dosing phase, about 4 in 10 people taking EBGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing.

[Ad Voice 2]

Empglis Lebricizumab LBKZ, a 250mg 2ml injection is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. Eglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be Severe eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Eglis before starting ebglis. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection.

[Ad Voice 1]

Ask your doctor about EBGLIS and visit ebglis or call 1-800-LILYRX or 1-800-545-5979. Score more with the college branded Venmo Debit Card and earn up to 5% cash back with Venmo Stash Got paid back with the Venmo Debit card. You can instantly access your balance and spend on what you want, like game day snacks, gear, tickets and more. The more you do, the more cash back you can earn. Plus there's no monthly fee or minimum balance. Sign up [e-mail] collegecard the Venmo Mastercard is issued by the Bancorp Bank NA, so select Schools available. Venmo Stash terms and exclusions apply at Venmo me stash terms max 100 cash back per month

[Abu]

welcome back folks. Let's continue our discussion and dive back into this trailer.

[Leo]

How did Father do it?

[Abu]

The trailer continues as Paul's Chakobsa chant crescendos into a bellowing battle chant and the wartime imagery ramps up. There's troops using suspensors to cross this chasm. Alia is free floating through some sort of enclosed space, presumably also using suspensers. There's Fremen forces clashing with an army that's wearing these like conical helmets and using these long thin swords on a rainy planet. It appears to be a battlefield that's drenched in water. We even get this like sort of featured hero shot under the pouring rain. This Fremen commander kills off one of these enemies as his men watch, which, if you are a fan of this story, is a striking image to get on screen watching Fremen warriors, Fremen who have adapted to lifestyle in the deep desert battling in the pouring rain, drenched with water from the sky.

[Leo]

Yeah, really shocking to see these Fremen warriors drenched standing in the rain. Like, what a crazy idea. And again, wonderful to see some stuff we know from Dune Messiah, people like Fyrakk who are talking about being changed, dipping in the sea, coming out reborn. You know, we know how impactful some of those experiences were for Fremen. Maybe we will get to see some of that and not just be told about it, which is very cool. Now, another thing that was brought up by our live chat about this Fremen commander who kills off the kind of looks like the head of the samurai army is that it is definitely Stilgar, was what our chat was saying. We have been burned before. When we were saying that obviously the Reverend Mother at the beginning of the movie is Gaius Helen Moheim and that it was absolutely a different woman. We were just like, ah, shit. We are bad at telling older women apart. So we're not 100% convinced that this is in fact Stilgar. I feel like Javier Bardem has such an iconic silhouette. It feels like we would be very sure if it is him. Nevertheless, it would make sense in this scene to show familiar Fremen characters on these planets. So could be very well could be Stilgar. I'm kind of convinced that it is. But that being said, it is strange to me. I've seen so much of Javier Bardem recently and it's strange that I'm not like, immediately like, oh, yeah, that's obviously him. There is some uncertainty, which makes me think, yeah, maybe not.

[Abu]

Yeah,

[Leo]

how did father do it?

[Abu]

Your father never started a war. Now, after Jessica drops the hardest line of the trailer. Your father never started a war. I have some thoughts and feelings about that, Jessica, considering you pushed Paul into embodying the Messiah. We see a glimpse of Alia in what is perhaps in this whole trailer, one of the most beautiful shots. Her shroud billowing this white cloth. She's standing on top of this huge platform. We'll chat a bit more about that later on. After this shot, though, we see a image of these bald monks. They seem to be wearing some sort of monk type robes, standing in the pouring rain. And there were a couple of theories thrown around in our livestream from the live chat about who these folks could be. Theory number one was that these bald monks are maybe supplicants that are praying to Allia, standing up on that giant platform. And perhaps they're standing under the rain here on Arrakis because there has been enough ecological change on Arrakis for there to be rain. Or maybe they're undergoing some sort of water ritual where they are being splashed by water as some sort of ritual with Alia within Paul Muad'dib's religion.

[Leo]

Right. Which would also be a sign of ecological change. Water is not as precious. We can now spray water in the air. You know, people are putting their thumb over the hose and just dousing their friends. Like that's allowed now because of how much the planet's changed. Also could be right.

[Abu]

That's true. That's absolutely true. Another theory that Leo, you had thrown out there during our live chat was maybe these monks are on Mirage. Maybe we're seeing a continuation of that sequence of the battle. And perhaps these are monks who are about to be murdered as this planet falls to the jihad, to the Fremen hordes who are going to overrun this planet and its people. Maybe this is where we will see, for example, how Paul's jihad destroyed cultures and religions across the empire and imposed the Fremen way on them.

[Leo]

Yeah, I don't want to get too attached to this theory of mine, but I will say I could see you watching Fremen in a. And I say you kind of royally. I think I could see an audience member watching the Fremen battling on these foreign lands, killing the samurai, you know, doing whatever and still being like, yeah, the Fremen are sick. They're so cool. Team Fremen. Rah, rah, rah. I think if the fight with the samurai then leads to a sequence where peaceful monks refuse to obey Paul Muad'Dib's warrior religion and then are slaughtered while not resisting by Fremen warriors, I think that would be a very clear ick for everyone. And I think that that maybe is what's necessary. We need you to watch this holy war and to go, oh, I don't feel good about this. This is not good. And I think that a number of monk attired folks in the rain unresisting, being cut down by familiar Fremen characters would. I think that that would. I think that that would do the job. And again, I'm not trying. I don't want to get too attached to this because it very well could literally just be Alia is up on her platform. These are supplicants. We know that there are tons and tons of religious pilgrims, right, who have come to the city to get a glimpse of muad'dib, which is like usually

[Abu]

Korba pretending to be him or cosplaying as Muadib.

[Leo]

Cosplaying as him or. Or Alia, who's up on her platform giving a speech, taking questions. Again, she kind of does the crowd working thing that comedians do on TikTok but either way, we could be seeing that. Sure, I would welcome that. Because again, it's about time. We see crowded people on Arrakis. I want to see the bustling town square.

[Abu]

That's right.

[Leo]

I want to see tarot decks being sold. I want to see merchandise. Like, it sounds silly, but I think it's a deeply important part of the fucking ludicracy of the religion that they build up. And I think it's a necessary piece of it.

[Abu]

So I want to see Gom Jabbar merch from Gomjabbar Shop on those stands in Arakeen.

[Leo]

Yeah, yeah. The ornithopter escape poster. What a beautiful work of art by some unnamed artist.

[Abu]

Incredible. Put it in. We'll send you the digital model. You can just CG it in later. It's all good.

[Leo]

Yeah. The ornithopter flight mug. What a beautiful mug. One of my favorites. I say unbiasedly.

[Abu]

Okay, so following the monks, we get a couple of more quick shots in this trailer. We see some soldiers carrying some sort of device as they run through a battlefield taking shots. This, to me, looks very similar to the. To Saruman's tower and his machine gun. This looks like the same sequence to me. We then see. We have talked about this at length. The sarcophagus being slotted into the USB port. We get another shot of Alia looking angry, looking real Goth, looking real hot, frankly.

[Leo]

And then we see True.

[Abu]

And then we see Chani standing in the desert under some sort of expanding ray of light, some sort of door or passageways opening. Very unclear what's happening there. Followed by a shot of Alia on the throne receiving that group of visitors alongside that sarcophagus, which we talked about earlier.

[Leo]

So wrapping up this teaser, we get a shot of hate. So exciting. Jason Momoa as the ghola in the hall.

[Abu]

Oh, my God.

[Leo]

In the all white. What a tall collar. The height of the collar is indicative of his skills with a sword. And that is also a euphemism.

[Abu]

Hello.

[Leo]

And we then basically get a sequence where he and Paul are sparring. I think you and I agree this looks like a demonstration of his still abilities and not fight to the death, for instance.

[Abu]

Yeah, agree.

[Leo]

And it is also the same room. You can tell from the stairs and the arch of the room as it kind of arcs over the throne. Quick side note here, I'm a little bummed at the eyes. I hope we get more of an eye. Thank you. Like, I liked the metal. The idea of the pitted metal that Frank describes as this kind of inhuman, scary, inaccessible thing.

[Abu]

Yes.

[Leo]

I really liked that detail. So I don't. Someone in our live chat suggested that this is another thing that might change before the final movie comes out. It does look a little bit final to me. These gray eyes. And it's in the poster. So it's like, I don't think the posters are gonna be changed. You know, I kind of wish they were a little bit more inhuman and a little scarier.

[Abu]

I agree. We talked in our livestream about how Denis Villeneuve is a very restrained and minimalist filmmaker. And I personally have appreciated that about doing Part one and Part two. Him just kind of like really scaling down some of the goofier and campier parts of Dune. Some of the weirder parts, for example, that David lynch really leaned into. Denis Villeneuve has chosen to lean back away from and be a bit more minimalist about it. The eyes of the Abad, for example, are not these pure blue eyes without irises. But I agree. I do find myself being disappointed by Jason Momoa not having the completely metallic eyes of a Tleilaxu Gola. I think that would have added an interesting layer to his character. I think thematically it also kind of works when you consider that eyes are a window to the soul. And there's questions about whether this resurrected being still has a soul. Are you just a husk of Duncan Idaho or are you the Duncan Idaho that we know and love? I think we lose some of that when he just seemingly has normal human eyes and is wearing gray contacts.

[Leo]

Yeah, yeah, agreed. So following that scene, we get a quick shot of Irulan. We see Scytale walking among the people of Arrakis in his own still suit. Very interesting because most of the time he spends on Arrakis, he is disguised as this Fremen woman. So it's interesting to see him on planet as himself or as this kind of figure that he's using in other scenes. We'll have to wait and see how much his face dancing ability is actually put on display. How often is he going to be changing fully into someone unidentifiably him? Who's to say?

[Abu]

Yeah, And I think folks in our livestream had questions about whether Denis is going to go as far as to entirely cut his face dancer abilities. Is Scytail never going to shift faces? I think that's untrue. Denis Villeneuve himself, in interviews and Q&As recently has talked about Scytale as a face dancer. He's named him as A face dancer. And in the character posters that were released ahead of this teaser trailer, Scytale's character poster has like a ghost image of his face, like a second face alongside, kind of, I think, hinting at the fact that he is a shapeshifter. And I think, you know, along the same lines of Denis Villeneuve being a restrained and minimalist filmmaker. I don't think we're gonna get something like, so campy as, like, watching his face, like bubble and melt and transform into this gross monstrosity, you know, I don't think we're gonna get that. I think it's gonna be much more subtle and minimalist. But I do think we're gonna get some face dancing action from our boy.

[Leo]

That'll be cool. And I do hope for that as well, because naturally it is important. And I think it's a big piece of, like, why even call him a face dancer then, you know, So I think we are. The seeds are there. I hope they sprout and bloom.

[Abu]

I'm not afraid to die, But I must not die yet.

[Leo]

We get a quick shot of Chani and then we get the explosion.

[Abu]

The explosion.

[Leo]

The explosion. Capital T, capital E. Three shots. Three seems like concurrent shots show a blinding blue light that fills the screen. The second shot features Paul. I think he's Paul, a bald head with his big bulky robes. Kind of the disguise that he uses when he moves through the streets, along with his guard around him, protecting the emperor. Because again, he is the emperor at this point. And then the third shot shows that group of men thrown off their feet by the blast, tumbling through the dirt. Yes.

[Abu]

You know, I had, in our instant reactions, I had boldly claimed the trailer wasn't gonna show Stone Burner and they'd keep that secret. But I was wrong about that. And you had pointed out how this blue explosion sequence was clearly stone burner. And I think it most definitely is. And the sequence of events pretty much follows what happens in the book too. You know, like Paul is out there in the Arrakeen streets with his entourage when this explosion suddenly goes off in the streets and everyone is thrown back and, you know, loses their eyesight. So I'm excited to see that some folks in the livestream expressed disappointment that this didn't seem like the biggest of booms. You know, I think some of us might have pictured the stone burner being like full on nuclear blast level explosion. But I think it remains to be seen. We saw three quick glimpses. I'm sure the once the audio of the explosion Soundtrack is mixed in. Like, we're all about to have our fucking ears blown off by this scene, I'm sure.

[Leo]

Also what's important to note, although the Stone Burner uses atomic fuel, it is not a nuclear bomb. It is a drilling explosive that gives off a radiation that melts eye tissue. And part of why it's so fucking nefarious to use it on Arrakis is because Fremen, traditionally, if they are blind, they walk into the desert and die. So doing this in a quarter where a bunch of Fremen live is a death sentence to anybody affected by the J waves that are emitted by the Stone Burner. So I think that if people are going, oh, I wanted, like, an Oppenheimer, like, explosion that levels half of our keen. That's never what the Stone Burner was. It was never about destroying buildings and, like, leaving a giant crater. I think you're right that we have no reason to think the sound design is gonna let us down. The sound of the first two movies has been literally jaw dropping. And it is going to be great and it's gonna be very impactful. But I do need us to all scale our expectations to what Stone Burners canonically are very true. We are going to see the Stone Burner. We've seen, I think, a glimpse of it now, and I think that it's going to be a very impactful moment. But this is not supposed to level the city. This is a very particular type of explosive. So let's not think about it in terms of like, oh, this is a nuke going off. This is something else.

[Abu]

Yeah. And I honestly, I always pictured it as more of like, a mining laser, Like a. More targeted, like. Like a mining laser that comes out and breaks the surface of the planet. And the risk you run there of blowing up the whole planet is if you drill too deep, you know, you, like. Yeah, you know, whatever, you hit the core, one of the inner layers of the planet and cause a chain reaction. And so I never imagined it as, like, a literal nuke going off. I imagined it as, like a pew. Like a very bright, loud stream of powerful, like, light that shoots and drills down into the planet. And then, as you're saying, the repercussions of that are more the radiation than the actual destruction caused on the ground.

[Leo]

Yeah, we'll have to revisit that scene in Dune Messiah. I know, you and I, we're gonna go back to the book before the movie comes out, so we'll talk about it. I do think there is a blast and Rubble, and there's, like, dust clearing and stuff like that. So there is something there. But I think, regardless, it's going to be unique. It's gonna be interesting. It's not gonna be like the explosions we're seeing in the war at the beginning of the movie, for instance.

[Abu]

No, it won't be like that.

[Leo]

Yeah.

[Abu]

All right, let's round out this trailer. We get a final bit of dialogue here from Paul Atreides, and then we see him mounting the stairs onto a huge platform before countless legions of warriors. And then we get this slow tracking shot that reveals his face as the. At first, he's backlit by the sun, and then the sun moves, and we see a scarred, haunted Paul Atreides. Bald hair, scars all over his face. Eyes of the Abad, blue and bright, which we'll come back to shortly because you have a theory on those eyes. The trailer then ends with a final shot of Chani. We see Chani with her blue hairband wrapped around her wrist. She's with Cryst knife in hand. She's facing off against two nondescript Fremen that we can't identify because it appears they're all standing on the back of a sandworm. And so there's dust swirling all around them. And the trailer ends on a lingering shot of her face before she lunges into action. And then we get title Card, Dune Part 3.

[Leo]

The sound design of sandworm rides has been so cool so far.

[Abu]

Yeah.

[Leo]

I am so excited to see a fight on the back of a sandworm. Oh, my goodness.

[Abu]

Yeah.

[Leo]

What a way to deliver something that was not in the book. That should have been in the book.

[Abu]

Hell, yeah, it should have been in the book. Yeah. Oh, my gosh, That's a great point. All right, folks, so that's the trailer, scene by scene, shot by shot, with some of our thoughts sprinkled along the way. Let's take another quick break, but don't go anywhere. When we come back, we're gonna share our final thoughts and a couple of theories that we're holding onto after seeing this trailer. So stick around for that. We'll be back in just a minute.

[Ad Voice 1]

This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home with agents who close twice as many deals when you find the one you've got a real shot at getting it. Get [e-mail] own the dream.

[Leo]

Welcome back, everybody. I hope you enjoyed your break. Let's jump into some of our thoughts and theories that we have after having watched this teaser. And first up, the theory that I want to share is one that I have around Paul's CGI eyes. Deep fake. Fake news. This is misleading. Saw it on New York Post first. Yeah, right. Sure you did. Paul's actually an alien. Bullshit clickbaity article. Anyway, we know that Paul is going to lose his eyes at some point in this movie. And I think that any scene where we are shown Paul, but we don't exactly see his eyes, I think it's up for grabs. I think that the shot when he climbs the stairs and the sun is silhouetting his head and you can't see his face at all, and then the camera tracks a bit, the sun is covered, and suddenly you can see his face. That shot really struck me because until you saw his face, until the silhouetted effect disappeared, I was 100% convinced we were gonna see eyeless Timothee Chalamet. Which of course doesn't make any sense in the preliminary trailer.

[Abu]

Crazy reveal in the trailer.

[Leo]

Insane reveal in the trailer. That's like Bruce Willis sees is dead in the Sixth Sense trailer.

[Abu]

Yeah, exactly.

[Leo]

That's insane. So I do think that that would be very bold. Now, what has been done in the past is shots have been in trailers and then after the fact, when they actually are in the movie, they have additional VFX or VFX was applied to them in order to remove them. I think famously one of the Marvel movies had a character in a scene and they just like they removed the character from the scene for the trailer to kind of throw people off the case. So it is done. It has happened. My theory is that this is going to be Paul revealing his. Like I can still fucking see. He's got the scars on his face. I think he will not have eyes. The more I look at that scene, the more I'm kind of convincing myself because I feel like there's like CG artifacting a little bit around his eyes. They look kind of dead and flat. I don't know.

[Abu]

Leo's in the Batcave, like zooming. Enhance zoom and enhance.

[Leo]

Enhanced X ray. Blow up the pixel to six times the size of the wall. I can't see anything now. Why did I do that? So I think that was my theory. Now, that being said, during our live chat, Matt, Karen pointed out in chat an Alternative theory that this is the reveal of Paul's new hairdo, his new kind of sick buzz cut, his biker look after the jihad battle montage. So maybe the first chunk of the movie we have, maybe the first 20 minutes of the movie, we have curly locked, Timothee Chalamet with his beautiful head of hair. We see all this battling. He's blood on his face and he's kind of marching through the warfield. And then we get the basin shot where he's over the water and he rubs the water on his head. Maybe this is immediately following that haircut. And then he mounts the stairs to all of his victorious soldiers. And to be fair, this theory, Matt Caron's theory, gives me pause. I think that that's actually a very convincing idea also, because the tone of those cheering, jubilant men so hyped to see Paul Atreides on that platform feels like we just won the holy war victory. We fucking did it. You know, Mission accomplished. And this is Paul ascending the stairs and maybe in that moment telling them all, look at what we did. We fucking did it. And now, you know, we get to X, Y and Z. And maybe that's the transition from battle montage holy war into the political intrigue. And how do we actually. How do I find chani and et cetera, et cetera. So I do think that that is quite a compelling argument, and I could be wrong for sure, but I do think it is still. I said this in our initial reaction. I still think it's very spicy to say that shot has been doctored. And I think that that shot is actually him with the pitless eyes. I think that's sick. I think that would be so cool. And I'm still going to say that's going to happen. And then when I'm wrong, I'm fine.

[Abu]

Okay, there we go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You gotta shoot your shot.

[Leo]

You know, shooting it.

[Abu]

Yeah, there you go. Okay, moving on from your theory about the eyes, let's talk about Alya for a little bit. Let's just touch on this character. We get that stunning shot in the trailer of Alia standing on the platform, white dress billowing majestically around her. Oh, my God. Saint Alia with the knife. I'd follow her into battle.

[Leo]

True.

[Abu]

The scale of that shot is incredible. We had some folks in the live chat point out that the architecture behind her looks like the maw of a sandworm, which is very cool, either intentional or unintentional. So some really amazing imagery around Alia. And I think that kind of raises some what ifs that are still left unanswered by this trailer. But it's fun to speculate. It raises some questions about Alia's role in this film. Denis has said in recent Q and A's that he. That she will be fiercely dedicated to Paul and ready to do whatever is necessary for her brother alongside her brother. And that makes me wonder what her role in this story will be and whether or not we'll see any hints of her future entanglements with Duncan Idaho hate or how much of her fanaticism will we see? How much of her abilities will we see?

[Leo]

Yeah, it's an interesting thought that maybe she would be more fanatical and more let's push the pedal to the metal than Paul. You know, in the womb, maybe she's had visions of what Paul is seeing. And we know in Messiah, Paul is only hesitant to push things forward and to move things forward because he's going to lose Chani in the process. But Alia doesn't have that burden. Alia's not looking at the loss of a loved one. Alia just sees the avoidance of extinction of humanity. So I imagine her being like, yeah, let's fucking go, bro. And Paul having to be like, I can't. And you don't understand. Like, you know, I could see that being an interesting way to externalize some of Paul's internal tension. If you make Alia the mouthpiece of like, no, this religion is kind of fucking bangs. And I think we can get a lot done. And Paul. Paul then being the one to be like, I know I'm the cause of all of this, but it sucks. And I lost Chani and I want her back, and I'm willing to give it all up for that. I think that that could be very. It's a great read and a good way at least to, again, externalize what is internal in the book to something that two characters could actually chew through in a scene.

[Abu]

Yeah.

[Leo]

Rather than just fucking narration or whatever.

[Abu]

Yeah. And I think I agree with you completely. Actually, I hadn't considered that at all, but now that you say it, I'm like, yeah, of course. That makes so much sense. I think Alia being used in that role is so smart. And I think it raises another point about adaptations that I think is difficult as lovers of these stories who want to see our favorite moments and favorite characters on screen like they were in the books. I think the reality is, is that when you're making a film, you need to externalize a lot of internal Thoughts from these characters. So much of Messiah the book is just Paul being gloomy and depressed and thinking a lot.

[Leo]

Yeah.

[Abu]

And that just won't translate to the film. You need to externalize some of that tension that Paul has as he grapples with his prescient abilities and the choices he has to make as emperor. You need to externalize that into interactions between Paul and other characters. So I think, I love your theory there, that Alia will be used as sort of a bounce board for Paul's inner struggles and ideas and to bring them out into sort of the political and military intrigue that we might see on screen. I think Irulan might play some of that role as well. Sort of externalizing some of Paul's political pressures in a way where we can have characters interact and talk about it and it be a part of interpersonal relationships rather than all inside of Paul's head.

[Leo]

Yeah. Also because I think Paul. What is interesting about Paul, broadly, in the grand scheme of things, is that he is in so many ways kind of a failure. Like, he is a Kwisatz Haderach who takes the Galactic throne and overthrows a 10,000 year empire. But he fails to protect the only person he loves. He fails to avoid the one thing he's trying to avoid time and time again. And we learn later in the series as well that he has visions of stuff that he really should be avoiding that he's kind of not because he's so attached to Chani. And we've given him credit where credit's due. He's the first person ever to have these sorts of abilities. But, like, he kind of fucking sucks on some levels. And I think that that's often missed out. When we talk about Paul, like, we talk about, like, yeah, he, like, won all these fights. But we need to keep in mind he's not a savior for the Fremen. He's really their death sentence. But I think the other side of it is, like, he doesn't get anything he wants. He is a tragic figure ultimately. So to have someone like Alia who could say, you know, hey, we need to do this, we need to kill these conspirators. And him go, no, we can't. And her go, what the fuck do you mean, you sterilized those planets? Like, I was there with, you know, or whatever. It's like she can be the one to call out his hypocrisy and how much he kind of. He wavers and isn't, you know, doing the job. He's not getting it. Done. He half does it until kind of his hand is forced by Scytale and by hate and by everything, by all

[Abu]

the plots and the machinations and the politics and religion swirling around him. You know, his hands are eventually tied.

[Leo]

So I think that could be very interesting and I think it would be nice.

[Abu]

Completely agree.

[Leo]

Maybe not super satisfying for people who are, like, big fans of rooting for a hero, but at the end of the movie to be like, man, this Paul guy kind of sucked. And I really like everyone else, it's like, yeah, but that might be the adaptation that Frank would have signed off on.

[Abu]

Yeah, right. That most closely hues actually to Frank's original intent with the story. And I think this actually dovetails us nicely into our last point we wanted to chat about briefly is Chani, the question of Chani's role in the story. I think a lot of issues that folks had with Chani and Dune, part one and Part two, is that she does take on some of the role of externalizing Paul's internal struggles as his powers are awakened, as he debates whether or not to use the Fremen people to wage a war, to take back the throne, to go south. You know, those are all conversations and tensions that he then has with Chani externally. That's how Chani's role was incorporated into that film. And which, of course, different from the book here in Dune Part 3. In Dune Messiah, we get very few glimpses of Chani in this trailer. It seems to intentionally be hiding any clues as to what the heck Chani is up to in this film. She's mostly just standing around in the desert, looking fearsome and in a stillsuit. And that's it. That's all we get. And there's really, like, nothing we can glean from that. Villeneuve has said in interviews that the love between Paul and Chani is the heart of the film. And so that, to me, dismisses some of the fears that have been brought up about Chani and Paul never reconciling, that Villeneuve is going to take Chani in such a different direction that she is constantly opposed to Paul and they never actually fall in love and have children. I think Villeneuve knows the story inside and out. He has said in a Variety interview that Dune Messiah is his favorite book in the series, which. Love it. Love A love A guy with good taste. Am I right?

[Leo]

Sure.

[Abu]

And. And so I think he knows this story inside and out. He understands that Paul and Chani are central to it. I'm confident he's going to find A way to bridge that gap and bring. Bring us back to these two people who love each other dearly. I will say I said this on the livestream. I think ultimately, if that doesn't happen, I will walk away from the movie disappointed. If Paul and Chani's love doesn't land or is handled lazily, or if it falls short in some way that's disappointing and ham fisted. I'm gonna be disappointed because I do think Paul's love for Chani, his concern for his future children that he sees in his visions or his future child, that is so central to his emotional arc in Messiah, to his character arc, it's also so incredibly necessary for them to be in love and for the ending to be tragic in the way it is in the book. And we need to end up there in some way, shape or form. But ultimately, I am confident that Villeneuve understands that and will get us there.

[Leo]

Yeah, I think. I mean, I completely agree. Paul's entire reason for doing everything and not doing anything in Messiah is his love of Chani that he has and the relationship that they have, present tense, and not this thing that he once had that she no longer talks to him and that. So I have a really hard time imagining even getting to the story of, like, Paul's story in Dune Messiah, if you're even adapting the book, has to be that he has her and doesn't want to lose her. And it is very important, I think, to the story. And I understand, like, I think people have celebrated that Chani's not as much of just like a hype, yes woman as she is in the book, where she's kind of just going along with Paul. And I have mixed feelings about that. Again, I also have mixed feelings about Kara Kennedy's perspective when we talked to her about Chani, where it is a messy thing, adapting a book and saying, this book was written in the late 50s, early 60s. How do we make it resonate with people in 2025, 2026? It's like, yeah, it's hard, it's messy. And I want young women to see themselves in Chani and to be empowered by her and be brought up by her. And, yeah, if you're out there in the world and your fucking guy watches a holy war instead of sticking by your side, girl, break up with him 1000%. But we then tread toward this not being an adaptation of the book Dune Messiah. And then the question, same question I have for David Lynch. You clearly didn't want to adapt Dune into a movie. You wanted to Tell your own story with, like, Dune prophecy pieces. Totally.

[Abu]

Totally.

[Leo]

I trust Villeneuve to do right by these characters. And I am relieved to hear Leto and Ganima brought up so early in the first teaser for this movie. Maybe Villeneuve is kind of softening people who were like, yeah, fuck, Paul. Chani's a never Paul Gal. And then Denis, with this teaser, is going to. They might have kids. They might have had kids. Maybe they have kids, you know, and that maybe softens people a little bit to the idea that this bridge is singed but not burnt fully and they might come back together during the movie. I'm hopeful. Me too. But we'll have to wait and see.

[Abu]

Totally. Look, folks, you can love somebody and still be hurt and betrayed by them and disagree with their actions doesn't mean you stop loving them. And I think that's where we find Chani.

[Leo]

And it is within your agency to forgive them or find a new normal with them after the fact. You have that capability and no one can tell you. You can't. No one can say, well, the right thing to do is to never X, Y and Z. It's like, no, Everyone, you know?

[Abu]

Yeah, completely.

[Leo]

I'm excited. We'll have to wait and see. But, man. Yeah. First teaser. Here we are. The timer is at one hour, 26 minutes and eight seconds. Talking about a two and a half minute tease.

[Abu]

Yeah, very exciting. This is fun, though. It's exciting to be back. It feels like we're back.

[Leo]

Yeah. I was thinking about that first when we got to see Dune Part 2 as press and we got to go in and to see those familiar moments in the framework of the broader movie and to just see how much better it was than even I was hoping it would be. I have that same kernel of excitement of like, I think he's gonna fucking do it again.

[Abu]

I know, man.

[Leo]

I'm so hyped.

[Abu]

Something's in the water, you know, I feel the same. I feel like he's gonna do it. All right, folks, that is our deep dive analysis of the very first Dune Part 3 teaser trailer. We hope you enjoyed our conversation. Before we let you go, we do want to remind you of a couple of very important things. The two best ways to support this podcast is one, to become a patron. Patreon.com gam jabbar you get ad free episodes. You get early access to book clubs. You get exclusive live streams. All of that on patreon.com Gom Jabbar and of course, the second best way to help us out is to check out our merch store Gomjabbar Shop. You'll be seeing those mugs in Arrakeen presumably, and you might as well snag yourself one too so you can be one of the cool kids. Both of those links are in the show notes below, so please check those links out and help us continue to do what we do as we hurdle our way towards December in this film.

[Leo]

So exciting. And hey, we love to hear from you. So shoot us an email. Gomjabbarpodcastmail.com that's our email address. Send us an email. What did you notice in the trailer? What are you excited about? What are you worried about? What are your hot projections? We can all kind of put bets. Well meet us on Kalshi or whatever the fuck that app's called and we're going to do over unders Build a parlay. Who's got the yards covered? Gomjabadpodcastmail.com Send us your thoughts. Pay the pet tax. Also, if you got cute pets, we want to see them. Want to say hi to your furry friends? And if you've got friends who are furries, also say hi to your furry friends.

[Abu]

That's another way to say that you don't have to send us pictures of them. Keep those to yourself.

[Leo]

You don't have to. You can tell us about them though. That's kind of cool. What are their fursonas names? I'm curious, you know. Yeah, any. Yeah, any Dune fursonas? Do we got any Muad'dib fursonas out there? What if your fursona was a chair dog?

[Abu]

Oh my God. We're going down a very dangerous road. That's the episode. Bye bye. Well friends, there is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the recording. But this podcast is always one step beyond logic. So help spread the word of Muadib and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And be sure to check out the other shows on the Lore Party podcast network on loreparty.com you can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram at Lore Underscore Party. We're also on YouTube. Thank you so much for watching for listening and remember, whoever controls the podcast controls the universe. We'll see you on the golden path.

[Leo]

Monster Energy. Everybody knows White Monster Zero Ultra, that's the og. It kicked off this whole zero sugar energy drink thing, but Ultra is a whole lineup now. You've got Strawberry Dreams, Blue Hawaiian Sunrise and Vice Guava. And they all bring the Monster Energy punch.

[Abu]

So if you've been living in the

[Leo]

white can branch out. Ultra's got a flavor for every vibe, and every single one is zero sugar. Tap the banner to learn more.

[Ad Voice 3]

Martha listens to her favorite band all the time. In the car, gym, even sleeping. So when they finally went on tour, Martha bundled her flight and hotel on Expedia to see them live. She saved so much, she got a seat close enough to actually see and hear them. Sort of. You were made to scream from the front row. We were made to quietly save you. More Expedia made to travel Savings vary and subject to availability. Flight inclusive packages are atoll protected.