The new Dune trailer dropped with a mysterious clue to the movie's plot as Timothee Chalamet’s character Paul Atreides develops blue eyes. Denis Villeneuve, director of Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, is helming Dune's second major film adaptation of the novel of the same name, with the first being David Lynch’s 1984 movie starring Kyle McGlauchlin in Chalamet’s same role. The new futuristic sci-fi movie starring Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, and Oscar Isaac is expected to be released in theaters on October 22, 2021.
Dune has released its first trailer since the movie announced its 3-week release date pushback to avoid competition with No Time to Die. Dune's second trailer focuses on Paul Atreides and Chani, portrayed by Chalamet and Zendaya, respectively, as she details her home planet Arakis - a place where spice flows in the air and is constantly attacked by outsiders, and it eventually calls for help from Paul of House Atreides on planet Caladan in his dreams. As the brown-eyed Paul heeds the call and travels with family to Arrakis, or “Dune,” he is eventually seen with bright blue eyes like Chani.
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In the world of Dune, the most valuable substance in the universe is melange, more colloquially referred to as Spice, which is a drug harboring many powers like an extension of human life, superhuman thought levels, prescience, and the ability to travel and communicate faster than the speed of light. Another side effect of excessive use of Spice is blue-within-blue eyes, which are finally seen on Paul towards the end of the trailer. Since he hails from planet Caladan and isn’t a Spice user, the blue-within-blue-eyed change suggests that Paul teaming up with Chani and the Fremen leads to contact with Spice, especially since he is seen in a golden armor outside of the stillsuit that may imply superhuman abilities.
Arrakis naturally produces Spice, which is why so many outsiders come to steal the drug and ravage the planet and its citizens along the way. The constant flow of Spice on the sand-dune planet has caused its inhabitant Fremen, like Chani, to be afflicted with blue eyes, whereas outsiders only have blue eyes when they have taken and abused the drug from Arakis. Before his voyage to Arrakis, Paul already had the power of prescience, which means the Spice simply enhances his natural gifts. The Dune trailer shows that Paul spends an extended period of time on Arrakis as he helps Chani protect the planet, meaning his blue eyes are a symptom of either ingesting the drug for power or consistently breathing in enough on Arrakis that he has a constant state of activity from Spice.
While Spice is heavily sought-after for the powers it grants its users, there are lethal dangers in the attempt to harvest it with the giant sandworm guards as well as the fatal withdrawal side-effects. This means that Paul will remain on Arrakis with Chani as a Fremen for a significant period of time, otherwise, he would die from the drug’s withdrawal. Fans of Dune will know that the blue-eyed change is just the beginning of Paul’s Fremen life and attempts to save the people of Arrakis from outside exterminators.
