Zendaya’s Dune debut? Yeah, it was a whopping seven minutes. In a 155-minute movie, no less. That’s about 4.5% of the entire film—barely a cameo—and fans weren’t thrilled. Posters, trailers, and the whole press tour led everyone to believe Zendaya’s Chani would be front and center. Instead, her character was mostly a dream (literally) in Paul Atreides’ head. Cue the social media outrage. One fan even tweeted, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ZENDAYA IS ONLY IN DUNE FOR SEVEN MINUTES.” Same, though.
It turns out that director Denis Villeneuve had his reasons. He split Frank Herbert’s novel into two movies, calling it rich and complex. According to him, Dune needed that extra breathing room, which meant Zendaya’s Chani would stay mainly in the shadows until the sequel. Villeneuve didn’t have to fight too hard for this split, saying the studio was on board once they saw the story’s depth. And hey, they weren’t wrong!
Still, Zendaya did get a little spotlight, narrating Dune’s opening scene. Unlike Herbert’s novel, which starts from the non-native “oppressors” POV, the movie opens from the Fremen’s perspective with Chani’s narration. Villeneuve flipped the script, giving us a glimpse of Arrakis’ world through Chani’s eyes, setting the stage for what’s to come.
The good news? Zendaya’s role in Dune: Part Two is anything but a cameo. Chani isn’t just a desert mirage in the highly acclaimed sequel. She joins Paul in his fight, picks up a blade, and gets to business against the Harkonnens and Emperor Shaddam IV.
Dune might have made fans wait, but the payoff was worth it. Zendaya’s Chani got the spotlight she deserves in the follow-up. Dune: Part Two took a deeper dive into the world of Arrakis, and Zendaya’s character played a pivotal role in the battle for the desert planet.
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