Six new characters we expect to see in Denis Villeneuve's newly greenlit ‘Dune: Part 2’

With Dune: Part 2 officially confirmed, one can’t help but wonder how director Denis Villeneuve will bring the second half of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel to the big screen.

Of course, we don’t know the specifics of Villeneuve's vision, however, based on the novel, there are some safe bets as to what characters we'll see in the second movie. Here are six characters we didn't see in Dune: Part 1 that we'll likely see in Part 2. 

**SPOILER WARNING: Dune: Part 1 spoilers flow freely below!**

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen

Arguably the biggest absence from the first Dune movie was Feyd-Rautha — the younger nephew of Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and the younger sibling of Rabban “The Beast” Harkonnen (Dave Bautista).

Feyd-Rautha is the Baron’s favorite nephew, and as such is next in line to lead House Harkonnen should the Baron die. The Harkonnen heir is also smarter than his brother, “The Beast,” though just as brutal in his own way. Like Paul (Timothée Chalamet), he was part of the Bene Gesserit breeding program and was potentially in line to become the Kwisatz Haderach, a person who could effectively see the future. Feyd-Rautha eventually takes over Arrakis and will undoubtedly have a run-in with Paul in Part 2. 

Alia Atriedes 

Alia is Paul’s younger sister. Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) gives birth to Alia after she and Paul join the Fremen, something that occurred at the very end of Part 1. Alia, however, is born different because Lady Jessica imbibes the Water of Life when she was pregnant with her. The concoction — derived from the bile of a drowning sandworm — ​​is what the Bene Gesserit use to make one of their own a Reverend Mother. Those who take it have their consciousness open to the Bene Gesserit’s genetic history, something that spans thousands of years. Alia was exposed to this before she was born and thus came out of the womb with memory and knowledge well beyond her years. Given her abilities, she plays an important role in the Atreides journey at a very, very young age. 

Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV

We didn’t see the Emperor in Part 1, though his influence flowed throughout the story. He was the one, for example, who agreed to have his vicious Sardaukar army secretly help the Harkonnens overthrow House Atreides on Arrakis. Shaddam was worried that Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) was amassing too much power in his empire, which is why he worked with the Harkonnens to take down the Duke's House. 

Paul and Lady Jessica survived, however, and we’ll see in Part 2 that Shaddam’s efforts didn’t pan out as he expected. 

Princess Irulan

Princess Irulan is Shaddam’s eldest daughter. She becomes a historian and is also trained in the Bene Gesserit ways. She’ll no doubt be in Villeneuve’s second Dune movie, as she and Paul will make some history of their own. 

Count and Lady Fenring

The Count and Lady Fenring are secondary characters, and out of all the characters listed here, they are the most likely to miss Part 2. In Herbert’s book, however, they play a role in the large political machinations between the Houses. 

Count Fenring was in the running to be the Bene Gesserit’s Kwisatz Haderach but lost that genetic competition. He was a mentat, however, and became one of Shaddam’s closest advisors. Lady Fenring is another member of the Bene Gesserit and, in the book, had her own intrigue with Feyd-Rautha, among others. 

Dune: Part 1 is currently in theaters and on HBO Max. Dune: Part 2 is set to premiere in theaters in October 2023.