Why Denis Villeneuve Changed The Ending Of Dune: Part Two

Adapting Frank Herbert's 1965 novel "Dune" has proven a tad tricky ever since David Lynch gave it his best shot in 1984. Despite the fact that Lynch's film has gained its admirers in the years since, there are all sort of things wrong with the 1984 "Dune," and they didn't improve all that much with the TV adaptations that came in its wake. Though the Sci-Fi channel (now SyFy) versions weren't without their charms, it was until Denis Villeneuve took on Herbert's sci-fi epic that it truly got the adaptation it deserved.

For the most part, Villeneuve accomplished the seemingly impossible by staying faithful to Herbert's original vision where possible, somehow managing to infuse the film with his own sharp sci-fi instincts and sensibility. That said, certain elements of 2021's "Dune" and 2024's "Dune: Part Two" strayed from the original novel in notable ways. For instance, the Lady Jessica of Villeneuve's movies, played by Rebecca Ferguson, remains pregnant throughout both films, whereas in the novel she gives birth to a daughter, Alia (played in "Dune: Part Two" by Anya Taylor-Joy in a cameo appearance during a flash-forward). This led to another major difference between the films and their source material: A major "Dune 2" death differs from the book, with Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) being murdered by Paul Atreides (Timotheé Chalamet) on-screen, whereas in the novel, he's taken out by Alia herself.

In an interview with Inverse, "Dune" and "Dune: Part Two" co-writer Jon Spaihts explained the choice, saying, "We were a little leery of that talking toddler, as a distraction in the middle of the film. That's a difficult thing to execute on film." Instead, Paul hears his unborn sister speaking throughout the movie. But there were still more changes to come, with another notable diversion from the novel coming during that intense climax that saw Baron Harkonnen felled by Paul Atreides instead of his sister.

Throughout "Dune: Part Two," we see Paul Atreides build a relationship with Zendaya's Fremen warrior, Chani. As he immerses himself in Fremen culture and learns their battle tactics ahead of his assault on the Harkonnens, Paul falls for Chani and, as was the case in the novel, the pair's love story becomes a central storyline in the film.

The film also follows the book for the climactic battle between Paul and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler), wherein the pair duel to the death and Paul comes out on top. Before the battle takes place, however, Paul states that if he defeats Feyd-Rautha, he will marry Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), the daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), shocking everyone in attendance — including Chani, who looks absolutely crushed by the announcement. In the book, however, Chani stands by Paul after he decides to marry Irulan, seemingly understanding of the political exigency of such a move. However, at no point in Denis Villeneuve's film is it made clear that Paul and Irulan's marriage is a political move, and both Chani and the audience are left to wonder why the hero has turned his back on the woman with whom he spent the entire runtime falling in love.

What was Villeneuve's reasoning behind this small but significant change? In the director's eyes, Chani's shock at Paul's apparent betrayal helped to highlight one of the key themes in the "Dune" story.

Though it might seem like a fairly minor change from the book, having Paul suddenly appear to turn his back on Chani after "Dune: Part Two" followed their burgeoning love affair was a major moment at the end of the movie. It suggested that Paul was beginning to lose his way and perhaps become corrupted by the prospect of gaining more power, even though he'd only just defeated Feyd Rautha and the Baron. As such, it was a dramatic and shocking moment to witness him disregarding Chani and pursuing Princess Irulan.

Speaking to Empire, Denis Villeneuve explained his reasoning behind the change, saying:

"I think it's much more romantic. It's much more emotional. We can relate to that. He has to do a political move, and it's a feudal world so in order to get power he will take Irulan's hand, but the way he expresses it in the film is much more romantic."

The French Canadian director also spoke about how such a change brings one of the underlying themes of the film to the forefront. Throughout "Dune: Part Two," Chani appears worried about Paul's growing influence over the Fremen, even as she falls in love with him — just one of the many intense emotional battles for Chani that Zendaya struggled to portray in "Dune." While it seems her concerns are unfounded for most of the movie, this final switch appears to confirm that Paul's aims aren't entirely benign and that Chani was right to be worried about the corrupting influence that Fremen worship and Paul's ambitions to seize power from the Emperor would bring upon her newfound love.

As Villeneuve put it in his Empire interview, "To watch him I think from Chani's perspective, she is destroyed by the fact that Paul is going towards Irulan, but much more by the fact that he becomes a colonizing figure, something he said to her he would never do."