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Zendaya’s Chani Looks Battle-Ready in a Dusty New ‘Dune: Part Three’ Image

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Few characters in Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ saga have changed as much as Chani. In the first film, Zendaya’s Fremen warrior appeared mostly in Paul Atreides’ visions, but by ‘Dune: Part Two’ she had become a fully developed fighter and the story’s moral center.

That growth set up one of the most powerful endings in recent blockbuster memory. When Paul launched a holy war and agreed to marry Princess Irulan for political power, Chani walked away from him in disgust, leaving fans eager to see what comes next.

Fans now have a new look at where Chani is headed. Empire has released an exclusive image of Zendaya in ‘Dune: Part Three’, showing her crouched low in the desert sand. Chani wears a dust-covered stillsuit, with her hair pulled tightly back and one knee in the sand. She looks warily at something off-camera, suggesting a character who is alert, cautious, and ready for a fight.

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New Look at ‘Dune: Part Three’ Teases a Bigger, Darker Finale

The image accompanies Empire’s December issue, which features 2 collectible covers and goes on sale October 22. The first cover shows Chani on the warpath with Paul looming behind her.

The issue includes interviews with the major cast, including Zendaya discussing Chani’s sense of betrayal. It’s one of the biggest promotional moments so far for the trilogy’s final chapter.

‘Dune: Part Three’ jumps 17 years past the events of ‘Part Two’. Paul now rules as Emperor and is married to Irulan, while his relationship with Chani has been strained by everything that followed his rise to power.

Villeneuve has described the film as focused on Paul and Chani and on what outside pressure does to their relationship. Speaking to Empire, he said the finale keeps the DNA of the earlier films but is “a very different movie” with a different pace.

The trailer has already hinted at Chani’s anger. It also includes a scene suggesting her pregnancy before she leaves Paul, and the cast includes Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke as Leto II and Ghanima, Paul and Chani’s twins.

Villeneuve has given Chani more of the spotlight in his version of the story. In this new image, she appears as a fighter rather than someone waiting on the sidelines of Paul’s empire.

Zendaya has spoken warmly about the saga, saying the films let her grow up through her 20s and that she’s grateful to have been part of them. She has also said she enjoys working with Florence Pugh, who plays Irulan, and would love more scenes with her.

She has also joked about the practical side of the role, saying that changing out of the stillsuit takes at least 10 minutes and that she wished it had a cooling system. Production on ‘Part Three’ returned to Abu Dhabi, where the Liwa desert again stood in for Arrakis. An entire village was reportedly built in the desert, with more than 1,000 people working on the film.

The sun-bleached look of this new image shows that scale. Like the earlier films, the finale appears to rely heavily on real desert locations to create its world. Zendaya is joined by Timothée Chalamet as Paul, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia, Florence Pugh as Irulan, Jason Momoa as Hayt, and Robert Pattinson as the villain Scytale.

The film, adapted from Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune Messiah’, opens in theaters and IMAX on December 18. If this image is any sign, Chani’s story may be just as important as Paul’s when the saga reaches its end.

What do you think Chani will do next in Dune: Part Three?

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