Warning! Spoilers ahead for Dune: Part Two.

Summary

• Anya Taylor-Joy appeared in a cameo in Dune: Part Two as Paul's sister, Alia.
• Director Denis Villeneuve praises Taylor-Joy's performance and expresses his intention to work with her again on the announced Dune: Part Three.
• Villeneuve's third movie will adapt the events of Dune: Messiah, which features a larger role for Alia.

Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides, Paul's sister, whom he sees in a vision.

With Dune: Part Three now confirmed to be in development, Villeneuve teases in a recent interview with Variety that Taylor-Joy will be returning as Alia in the sequel. While the director doesn't reveal too much about the third film, it's clear that he doesn't see Taylor-Joy's Alia as a one-off cameo. Check out Villeneuve's comment below:

"Anya was Alia as soon as I met with her. In fact, I realized after the fact, she has always been Alia. Anya feels out of this world, as though she belongs to some other dimension, one step into the dream.

"Shooting with Anya in Africa was nothing short of magical. Her generosity, candor and ion truly moved me. I can’t wait to go back on Arrakis with her.”

Alia Could Play A Much Larger Role In Dune 3

Denis Villeneuve's Next Sequel Will Adapt Dune: Messiah

Zendaya's Chani plays a surprisingly small role in the first Dune, with the film essentially just setting her up for a much more prominent arc in the sequel. The same can likely be said for Taylor-Joy's Alia in Dune: Part Two. While Villeneuve's first two installments in the franchise adapt Herbert's original 1965 novel, the third film will be adapting the events of the author's follow-up book, Dune: Messiah.

Without delving too far into book spoilers, Alia plays an important role in Dune: Messiah. As is teased during the events of the latest sequel, the character is essentially born with fully-formed Bene Gesserit powers, setting her up for an important role moving forward. The Dune: Part Two ending tees up the events of Messiah nicely, with Paul poised to embark on a galactic holy war that will result in the deaths of millions. A key focus in the book is highlighting the dangers of messiah figures like Paul, and Alia becomes one of his key allies.

Unfortunately, however, it will likely be some time before audiences get to see Taylor-Joy return as Alia in Dune: Part Three. While Villeneuve has made clear that he's hard at work on the script, the filmmaker has reportedly set Nuclear War: A Scenario as his next directorial effort. With stars like Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, among others, also becoming more in demand, it could be several years before everyone can convene again to start filming on the next installment. When Dune: Part Three does arrive, however, audiences can be confident that Taylor-Joy will be involved.

Source: Variety