In the theater at the screening where Dune 2 was shown in Mexico, there was a collective reaction of amazement when Anya Taylor-Joy looked into the camera, with her trademark ethereal face that was so well suited to the role. each person’s aesthetics. of the characters playing in the film. But of course, a story as ambitious as this must feature one of the great actresses of her generation.

And with a cast led by young actors (who are rightfully considered the “promise” of Hollywood in the future), the presence of an Argentinian-born artist is not a “cameo” simple, as was rumored in many media back in the day. seen at the London premiere of Denis Villeneuve’s film. Here we’ll break down why, with spoiler alert, if you haven’t seen the movie yet (please do).

Where does Anya Taylor-Joy appear in Dune 2?

Let’s recap what happens in the second part of Dune. After House Atreides is destroyed, Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) join the Fremen to seek revenge. Along this path, Paul will become a Fedaykin warrior (as the soldiers of Arrakis are known), while Jessica Atreides will replace the Reverend Mother of the Fremen; From this position, he would do everything possible to have his son recognized as the Messiah by the fundamentalists of southern Arrakis.

By becoming a Reverend Mother after drinking the Water of Life (a poison extracted from the depths of the desert that humans would not be able to survive without knowing how to control it), Lady Jessica reached a new level. Her spirituality allows her to communicate with her child, who is still in her womb. Thanks to the elixir and her mother’s Bene Gesserit status (in the Dune universe, Bene Gesserit are women of an ancient order with extraordinary physical and mental powers), Alia Atreides gained prophetic abilities.

In this way, when Paul also drinks the Water of Life, he approaches a vision in which Anya Taylor-Joy is seen playing the adult Alia, who confesses to him that her grandfather was Nam Duke Vladimir Harkonnen.

Which character does Anya Taylor-Joy play in Dune 2?

Once we know that the actress is responsible for bringing Alia Atreides to life, what this implies for the Dune story is very relevant in terms of what we can expect for the future. Although there is no official confirmation (for now), Denis Villeneuve is still very excited about the third film to complete the trilogy: “For my sanity, I could do something in between, but my dream I want to go to this planet that I love.” for the last time,” he said. During a press conference in December 2023, he also admitted that Dune 3’s script was “almost finished”.

What does the character Alia mean in the story Dune?

The character Anya Taylor-Joy in Dune 2 not only represents a clear continuation of the futuristic story. If we talk about the complex universe created by writer Frank Herbert, it can be predicted that Alia will have a huge weight in the third film (if there is one, of course). By drinking Lady Jessica’s Water of Life before giving birth to her daughter, Alia comes into contact with a phenomenon known in Herbert’s novel as “Abomination”, beings capable of observing the memories of their ancestors through Their genetic memory, which is extremely strong, is unstable if they taste the poison at too early a time like when Alia drank it through her mother.

If the character of Alia is continued, we will see her direction in The Messiah of Dune (Herbert’s next novel, which is expected to be based on the next film), where the Her castle was explored with her brother. Alia would eventually become Queen of Arrakis and Royal Regent, sometimes considered even more powerful than Paul, but always haunted by memories of her ancestors, a story covered in the book Children of Dune. We’ll have to wait and see if the adaptation fulfills the prophecies.