Summary
- Alia's change to an embryo in Dune 2 could result in six significant deviations from the original novel, including cutting the major time jump.
- Lady Jessica may play a larger role in Dune 2 if Alia remains an embryo, potentially even taking over Alia's important role of killing Baron Harkonnen.
- The absence of Alia's birth in Dune 2 may eliminate the possibility of Paul and Chani having a son, while also impacting storylines involving Lady Jessica and Emperor Shaddam IV.
Alia is Paul Atreides' sister, the daughter of Lady Jessica and Duke Leto Atreides, and she becomes a central figure in the Dune franchise around the time the first Dune movie ends. Importantly, Alia is born with countless genetic memories and powerful prescience because Lady Jessica drinks the Water of Life while pregnant with her. Alia's abilities play a critical role in the second half of Herbert's book, so if she remains an embryo for the whole movie, Dune 2 could be forced to make six significant changes to the novel.
Dune 2 Cast Guide: Every New & Returning Character
The Dune: Part Two cast features both returning actors from the first movie, like Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, and newcomers like Florence Pugh.
6 Dune 2 Might Not Have A Major Time Jump
Dune 2's expected time jump might not be necessary without Alia
In Herbert's novel, there is a roughly two-year time jump.
Dune 2's potential Alia Atreides change could alter the film's narrative by removing the need for a major time jump. In Herbert's novel, there is a roughly two-year time jump that occurs after Paul's integration into Fremen culture. While part of the reason for this is to give Paul time to gain influence among the Fremen and organize their resistance to the Harkonnens, the most important thing that happens during this gap is the birth of Alia.
The changes to Alia caused by Lady Jessica's consumption of the Water of Life are mostly mental, which is likely why Herbert wanted to wait until her body had physically developed enough to speak before continuing his story. However, if Alia advises her mother from the womb in Dune 2, then there's no need to wait for her to grow up enough to speak. Dune 2 might still skip forward some to strengthen the Fremen's dedication to Paul, but since Lady Jessica is already pregnant with Alia, it can only skip a few months without her being born.
5 Baron Harkonnen's Fate In Dune 2 Will Be Different
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen's downfall will be one of Dune 2's defining moments
The Baron meets his fate at the point of a gom jabbar in the Dune novel.
Another significant change that Alia's physical absence from Dune 2 could incur is a new fate for the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. The Baron meets his fate at the point of a gom jabbar in the Dune novel, wielded by none other than two-year-old Alia Atreides, the Baron's own granddaughter. While this is one of the book's most climactic and satisfying moments, it will obviously be impossible if Alia ends up being an embryo for all of Dune 2.
There are several strong options for replacing Alia as the Baron's killer, but the best one is undoubtedly Lady Jessica. If she were to kill the Baron while pregnant with Alia, Dune 2 would be able to stay extremely close to the source material despite the potential omission of Alia. Further, Lady Jessica is actually the Baron's daughter, which means using her as his killer would the idea of the Baron being killed by a family member.
4 Paul And Chani Might Not Have A Son In Dune 2
Paul and Chani have a son in the book before fighting the Empire
If Alia is not born during Dune 2, then it must take place within nine months of the Harkonnens' murder of Leto Atreides, Alia's father.
One of the things that remain unknown about Dune 2 is whether Paul and Chani will have a son in the film as they do in the book. However, if Alia is not born during Dune 2, then it must take place within nine months of the Harkonnens' murder of Leto Atreides, Alia's father. Considering Paul doesn't meet Chani until after his father's death, it would be impossible for them to have a child together before Lady Jessica gives birth to Alia.
Dune 2 also has the luxury of being able to cut Paul and Chani's son without any major consequences because he dies early on in the book. His death in a Harkonnen raid is one of the saddest parts of the novel, but there probably wouldn't be time in Dune 2 to set it up even if Alia were born during the movie. There are so many other plot lines to follow that cutting Paul and Chani's son would probably end up being a good move whether Alia is born or not.
3 Lady Jessica Will Be Pregnant Throughout Dune 2
Lady Jessica is already pregnant by the end of Dune
Paul knows that his mother is pregnant, meaning he will likely try to keep her out of harm's way.
One of the more obvious changes to Dune 2 that will happen if Alia isn't born during the film is that Lady Jessica will remain pregnant for the whole movie. That might seem like a minor detail, but it could actually have significant consequences if it's played out properly. Paul knows that his mother is pregnant, meaning he will likely try to keep her out of harm's way for most of the movie. This could affect the way they interact, and it could encourage Paul to lean more on Chani, so his mother can rest.
Further, Paul's attempts to keep his son safe in the book end up getting him killed, which could spell trouble for Lady Jessica. If he sends her to one of the Fremen sietches to keep her safe, she could get caught up in one of the Empire's raids. Lady Jessica definitely won't be killed in Dune 2, but if she gets caught up in one of the raids, it's not unlikely that she gets captured and taken to the Emperor like Alia is in the book.
2 Emperor Shaddam IV Might Not Have An Atreides Hostage In Dune 2
Emperor Shaddam IV captures Alia in the Dune novel
The Emperor having an Atreides hostage is an important piece of the puzzle in Herbert's novel.
In the Dune novel, the raid that kills Paul's son also captures Alia and sends her to be Emperor Shaddam IV's hostage. However, if Alia isn't born during Dune 2, then she obviously won't be captured in a raid. The Emperor having an Atreides hostage is an important piece of the puzzle in Herbert's novel, so if it's cut from the movie it could have far-reaching consequences.
It's still possible that Emperor Shaddam ends up nabbing an important hostage — Lady Jessica being the most likely candidate — but Alia's potential absence throws everything into flux. Alia's capture by the Empire is also what leads to her assassination of the Baron, so if nobody ends up being captured by the Emperor, then the Baron's death will have to be altered drastically. With that in mind, the best way to maintain continuity with the book might be to make someone else the Emperor's hostage.
1 Lady Jessica Will Have An Expanded Role In Dune 2
Lady Jessica might have to fill in for her daughter
If Alia only exists as an embryo advising her mother, then every scene with Alia will necessarily include Lady Jessica as well.
One of the biggest things Dune 2's Alia change could lead to is an expanded role for Lady Jessica. She is likely to take on most of Alia's storylines, meaning she'll be filling two roles from the book. Further, if Alia only exists as an embryo advising her mother, then every scene with Alia will necessarily include Lady Jessica as well. All this together makes it likely that Lady Jessica's role in Dune 2 will be quite significant.
Lady Jessica might even take Alia's most important duty in the novel by killing Baron Harkonnen, though it's hard to say for sure if that role will go to her or not. It's possible Lady Jessica simply follows her story from the book and doesn't take over the majority of Alia's role, but if Alia is truly cut from the film, it will be much easier to give her duties to other characters than to try to make the story work without them. With that in mind, Lady Jessica having an expanded role in Dune: Part Two seems like the most likely scenario.
- Cast
- Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Souheila Yacoub, Roger Yuan, Babs Olusanmokun, Giusi Merli, Kait Tenison, Tara Breathnach, Akiko Hitomi, Imola Gáspár, Elbooz Omar Ahmed Fathie, Abdelkarim Hussein Seli Mohamed Hassanin, Joseph Beddelem, Xavier Alba Royo, Rachid Abbad
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
- Budget
- $122 Million
