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Anya Taylor-Joy Says ‘Dune: Part Three’ Makes It Clear Paul Atreides Is No Hero

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Paul Atreides has never been a simple hero, but many fans have embraced him as one. Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ films have turned Timothée Chalamet’s Paul into one of the most magnetic leads in modern sci-fi, and ‘Dune: Part Three’ is set to challenge that image head-on.

The final chapter of Villeneuve’s trilogy adapts Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune Messiah’ and opens in theaters on December 18. The story picks up after Paul’s rise to power, with him ruling a galaxy shaped by his visions and facing the destruction carried out in his name.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays Paul’s sister Alia Atreides, says the new film leaves no doubt about where Paul stands. In an interview with The New York Times, she said the movies have followed the same path as Herbert’s books, with audiences drawn in by Paul’s charisma.

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Because of that, she explained, the third film needed to step in and make clear that Paul’s rise is not the moral of the story. It’s a striking statement from an actor whose own character is far from innocent, since Taylor-Joy recently described Alia as the film’s bad guy.

Her comments echo the reason ‘Dune Messiah’ exists. Villeneuve has said Herbert wrote the second novel as a reaction to readers seeing Paul as a hero, which the author never intended, and that his own adaptation leans into the idea that the story is a warning.

Chalamet made a similar point at the film’s trailer launch in Abu Dhabi. “I think Frank Herbert and Denis painted a nuanced picture of a sort of warning tale to beware charismatic leaders,” he told The National.

He added that Herbert wanted to warn the world about what can happen when people blindly follow leaders, and that even the good can be corrupted. Still, he resisted calling Paul’s path a villain arc, saying the film would be more nuanced than that.

The trailers show the cost of Paul’s victory. He is confronted with the charge that he has conquered the galaxy and destroyed thousands of worlds, while his ability to see the future appears to be breaking down.

Zendaya’s Chani, who ended ‘Dune: Part Two’ feeling betrayed, reminds him that he once said he would never take power in his own name. The final trailer even shows Chani and Robert Pattinson’s Scytale trying to kill him.

Chalamet has said he plays an older Paul, someone shaped by years of leadership and the weight that comes with it. He has also called this chapter the eeriest of the 3 films and a big swing.

Taylor-Joy’s Alia adds another unsettling layer. She has called Alia her most feral creation and said she only realized during a conversation with Villeneuve at the end of the movie that she was playing the villain.

GamesRadar+ notes that in the novel, Alia doesn’t actively plot against Paul the way Irulan and Scytale do. The film also reportedly builds an illicit bond between Alia and Jason Momoa’s Hayt, which is set to be central to the story.

Villeneuve has called the third film the last ‘Dune’ movie he will direct. An extended opening scene shot on 70mm IMAX film reportedly runs about 8 minutes with little dialogue and shows Paul’s visions from the first 2 movies becoming reality.

With Taylor-Joy, Chalamet and Villeneuve all framing Paul as a cautionary figure, the trilogy looks set to close by forcing audiences to rethink the hero they’ve been cheering for.

How do you see Paul Atreides after learning more about his actions in Dune: Part Three?

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