When it was first announced that Anya Taylor-Joy had a cameo in “Dune: Part Two,” no further information was provided. Fans remained none the wiser about who the “Queen’s Gambit” star was playing or how big her role would be. Then, the movie arrived and what this strange “Dune: Part Two” cameo actually meant remained somewhat of a mystery for those not following too closely or who hadn’t read Frank Herbert’s “Dune” novels.
During her uncredited cameo, which lasts less than a minute in a film that runs for a full 167 of them, Taylor-Joy is seen traversing the desert in one of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet)’s visions. She then turns towards camera as her voice is heard saying, “You are not prepared for what is to come. You’ll now learn the truth about our family, and it will hurt you to the core. Paul, don’t worry, I’m with you. I love you.” The truth she alludes to, of course, is that Paul partly descends from his family’s rivals at House Harkonnen — the very faction responsible for his father’s death and against which Paul and his Fremen allies are warring.
Why and how does Taylor-Joy’s mysterious desert-dweller know this? Because she is a grown version of Alia Atreides, Paul’s sister, who throughout “Dune: Part Two” is gestating in Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson)’s womb. It’s a slight but significant role in the “Dune” sequel that many fans of Taylor-Joy surely hoped would be bigger — even with the promise of more to come for her character. Alia is a main character in Herbert’s books “Dune Messiah” (1969) and “Children of Dune” (1976), and we already know director Denis Villeneuve is working on a third “Dune” movie, suggesting we’ll see much more of Taylor-Joy’s Alia Atreides in the next installment. That’s a darn good thing, too, as Villeneuve had to jump through a couple hoops to get the actress involved in his blockbuster franchise in the first place.
Denis Villeneuve really wanted Anya Taylor-Joy’s cameo to happen
The character of Alia Atreides has already been seen on-screen. She was played by Alicia Witt in David Lynch’s “Dune,” and by Daniela Amavia in the three-part Sci Fi Channel miniseries “Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune” (notable for also featuring James McAvoy running around naked). But if Anya Taylor-Joy returns to play the character in any of Denis Villeneuve’s future “Dune” installments, it will mark the most prominent on-screen depiction of the character yet. Whether that will happen remains unconfirmed, but based on Villeneuve’s comments to Variety, it certainly seems likely. The director told the outlet, “Anya was Alia as soon as I met with her. In fact, I realized after the fact, she has always been Alia.” He then added, “Shooting with Anya in Africa was nothing short of magical […] I can’t wait to go back on Arrakis with her.”
It’s a good thing the experience was as “magical” as Villeneuve claims, because it seems he was under a lot of pressure when shooting her brief cameo. The director explained to Variety that securing Taylor-Joy for the role was tough due to her commitments to George Miller’s thrilling magnum opus “Furiosa,” but Warner Bros. told him that as long as he met two conditions, he’d be allowed to cast her. As the article recounts, Taylor-Joy met with Villeneuve for a role in “Dune” but was told that her “Furiosa” schedule wouldn’t allow her to appear in his film. Then, once she’d arrived back in Los Angeles after shooting Miller’s movie, Villeneuve called the actress and said, “I made a deal with the studio: If I was on budget and on time, I could do this.”
While Villeneuve wasn’t able to integrate Taylor-Joy into “Dune: Part Two” in any major capacity, he was able to shoot her cameo scene while adhering to Warner Bros.’ demands and teasing future “Dune” stories.
Will Anya Taylor-Joy return to the Dune franchise?
Anya Taylor-Joy’s cameo in “Dune: Part Two” was a nice surprise for fans, and clearly a big win for both the actress and Denis Villeneuve, who was willing to meet whatever demands the studio had in order to secure the cameo. Aside from the fact that there’s obviously a mutual admiration between the two (Taylor-Joy admitted to being “Denis’ biggest fan ever”), Villeneuve also clearly wanted to tease forthcoming “Dune” installments, so securing this particular cameo was important in that respect. The big question now is whether the “Dune: Messiah” movie — which already has one big advantage over the book — actually materializes and how big Taylor-Joy’s role will be in the franchise moving forward.
Alia is a key character to the “Dune” mythology, and becomes a focal point in “Messiah.” In “Dune: Part Two,” we saw Lady Jessica drink the Water of Life, a mysterious extract from the planet Arrakis’ sandworms, which imbued her unborn child with powers. In Frank Herbert’s novels, Alia is born with full command of these abilities and advanced mental maturation, essentially meaning she’s a super-powered adult in a child’s body. That certainly sounds like a great role for Taylor-Joy, and we eagerly await the day her casting is officially confirmed.
