With Dune: Part Two already in cinemas, Anya Taylor-Joy's mysterious role has finally been revealed. It confirms a major departure from Frank Herbert's 1965 book.
After all, Denis Villeneuve wasn't trying to do a word-for-word adaptation of Dune.
"The idea is to try to be faithful to the author, as much as possible, to his intentions and his poetry. All the decisions were made to try to respect Frank Herbert's initial ideas," director Denis Villeneuve said in an exclusive interview with Digital Spy.
He also offered us some clues explaining that massive change with Taylor-Joy's mysterious character (more on that later.)
Dune 2 sees Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) fighting off the Harkonnens alongside the Fremen, as the war for Arrakis gets more intense and a long-awaited leader rises from the ashes of House Atreides.
Fans of Herbert's books, or those viewers who remember David Lynch's 1984 film adaptation, will notice there is one notable absence in the cast of Villeneuve's sequel. Here we delve into the story of that character, and what her future holds in the film franchise.
What to Read Next
If you don't want to spoil this character's cameo or the ending of Dune 2 for yourself, stop reading because there are major spoilers ahead.
Who does Anya Taylor-Joy play in Dune 2?
In Dune 2, Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the role of Alia Atreides. She is the daughter of Leto Atreides and Lady Jessica, so is Paul Atreides' sister.
However, in the sequel, Alia is not actually born. After Lady Jessica drinks the Water of Life while pregnant, her foetus receives the vast knowledge and foresight of the Reverend Mothers, meaning Jessica can communicate with Alia while she is still in the womb.
Later on, Paul has a vision of his sister.
After also drinking the Water of Life and accessing that heritage of power, Paul sees Alia as a grown woman (Taylor-Joy) standing mysteriously on a beach. She warns him of their family's secrets. "You are not prepared," she tells him.
That's the extent of what we can see of Alia Atreides in Dune 2, which is a major departure from her storyline in Frank Herbert's first book.
In 1965's Dune, Alia is born while Paul and Lady Jessica are still staying with the Fremen in Arrakis' desert, and has a more active role in the final battle.
Since she was exposed to the Water of Life during the pregnancy, Alia is born with the full powers of a Reverend Mother. The Bene Gesserit would call her an Abomination (because a child could be easily dominated by the personalities contained in the Other Memory, the heritage of the Reverend Mothers' ancestors, and become uncontrollable) but Lady Jessica decides to give her a chance to live and control her powers.
Raised among the Fremen, 4-year-old Alia becomes a skilled warrior, though she is captured by the Emperor's forces. In the final battle in Arrakeen, Alia escapes after poisoning Baron Harkonnen with the deadly needle known as the Gom Jabbar.
Back on the battlefield, she kills fallen warriors from the Sardaukar and Harkonnen armies with a traditional crysknife, earning her the name St Alia of the Knife.
Alia Atreides' story continues in the following books (Dune: Messiah, Children of Dune, Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune), but we don't know yet how her journey will develop on the big screen, given the changes in the adaptation.
In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Denis Villeneuve explained the reasons why Alia's storyline was changed for the sequel.
He said the decision had been made "to compress time, to put more pressure on Paul, to also create an interesting dynamic with Jessica, to increase this idea that the Bene Gesserit have control over their genetics and control over their bodies.
"And to have those surreal dialogues that I think I've never seen in cinema. Everything has been done, but that I've not seen yet. I was very excited."
For more on Dune 2, check out:
• Dune 2 review
• Everything you need to know about Dune 3
• Dune 2 ending explained
• How long is Dune 2?
• Why Dune 2 fails to address Dune's biggest issue
• Is Dune 2 available to stream?
• Why Dune 2 didn't bring back Thufir Hawat
• Does Dune 2 have a post-credit scene?
Dune: Part Two is now out in cinemas.
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Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over eight years. Based in the UK, she is a former deputy movies editor at Digital Spy, and previously worked for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas. Mireia's work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema and GamesRadar+ in the UK. She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London. LinkedIn
