Quebec director Denis Villeneuve was feeling the love from his family and friends as he returned to Montreal for the Canadian premiere of B次元官网网址淒une: Part Two.B次元官网网址�

And thatB次元官网网址檚 fitting because Villeneuve says that, despite the filmB次元官网网址檚 big action sequences and epic storyline, even he was surprised to realize that his latest adaptation of Frank HerbertB次元官网网址檚 beloved sci-fi novel is first and foremost a love story.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an action film, itB次元官网网址檚 a war movie, but itB次元官网网址檚 above all a love story,B次元官网网址� he said Thursday, the day after he was met by cheering fans at a red carpet premiere at a downtown movie theatre.

In the followup to 2021B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淒une: Part One,B次元官网网址� Timoth茅e Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides, the one-time heir to a now decimated powerful family. The movie chronicles his transformation into a warrior and religious figure as he and his mother, played by Rebecca Ferguson, unite with ZendayaB次元官网网址檚 Chani and the desert-dwelling Fremen in a battle against those who killed his family.

Villeneuve said filming B次元官网网址淒uneB次元官网网址� involved extensive, grueling shoots in the scorching desert of Abu Dhabi and Jordan.

In addition to concerns over protecting the cast and crew B次元官网网址� who had to work under the sun with heavy equipment and thick costumes B次元官网网址� the team faced the logistical challenges of getting equipment into the desert.

B次元官网网址淭hey built something like 30 kilometres of eco-friendly roads that probably donB次元官网网址檛 exist anymore, because they were meant to disappear,B次元官网网址� he said.

But Villeneuve said it was important to him to do justice to the bookB次元官网网址檚 desert landscapes, as well as the love story that bloomed between Paul Atreides and Chani.

B次元官网网址淭hrough this love story, we understand all the tragedy of the Fremen, and I think thatB次元官网网址檚 the heart of the film,B次元官网网址� he said.

The B次元官网网址淒uneB次元官网网址� project is a deeply personal one for Villeneuve, who has described the 1965 novel that spawned the feature as a seminal part of his teenage years.

He said that, in many ways, B次元官网网址淒une: Part TwoB次元官网网址� lives up to his initial vision, especially when it comes to depicting the Fremen. But though he tried to stay B次元官网网址渁s close as possibleB次元官网网址� to the book, he acknowledged that it can be tricky adapting a beloved work of art for film.

B次元官网网址淏y the process of the adaptation itself, itB次元官网网址檚 an act of a certain kind of violence regarding the book,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 had to kill a lot of darlings in order to transform it into a movie, so thereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of new things in this adaptation that the old me would say, B次元官网网址楻eally?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

VilleneuveB次元官网网址檚 science-fiction sequel had been set to open last November but was delayed amid an actors strike that prevented its star cast from promoting big studio projects.

B次元官网网址淒une: Part OneB次元官网网址� faced its own challenges thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic which imposed gathering restrictions on theatres. In the United States, Warner Bros.B次元官网网址� put the film on the HBO Max streaming service the same day it hit theatres.

With those pandemic challenges in the past, Villeneuve is adamant that people go to the theatre to get the full B次元官网网址淒uneB次元官网网址� experience.

B次元官网网址淭he whole fabric, the DNA of the film is to be a spectacle on the big screen,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淎nd thatB次元官网网址檚 something that is crucial for me because I feel that thereB次元官网网址檚 something about the communal that is very positive for humans, that we are not meant to be isolated.B次元官网网址�

Returning stars Chalamet, Zendaya and Ferguson are joined this time by Austin Butler as Harkonnen heir and villain Feyd-Rautha, Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV and Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan.

While previous stops on B次元官网网址淒uneB次元官网网址檚B次元官网网址� promotion tour have drawn headlines for ZendayaB次元官网网址檚 daring fashion and appearances by the filmB次元官网网址檚 big stars, WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 Canadian premiere was a less glitzy affair.

With a last-minute cancellation by Chalamet due to illness, Villeneuve walked the sand-coloured carpet in Montreal with his partner B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淒uneB次元官网网址� producer B次元官网网址� Tanya Lapointe, his parents and fellow Montrealer and longtime collaborator Patrice Vermette, who won an Oscar for production design for the first B次元官网网址淒une.B次元官网网址�

While he doesnB次元官网网址檛 know if or when heB次元官网网址檒l return to filming in Canada B次元官网网址� though heB次元官网网址檇 like to some day B次元官网网址� Villeneuve said it was important to him to celebrate his new film at home with friends and family.

B次元官网网址淭he love of their presence, their benevolence, their will to welcome me, to take care of me B次元官网网址� it was very moving for me to see all those friends together.B次元官网网址�

While a part three has yet to be confirmed, Villeneuve B次元官网网址� and the filmB次元官网网址檚 ending B次元官网网址� suggest that a third film could be in the works.

A third and final movie B次元官网网址渕akes senseB次元官网网址� to close out the story arc of Paul Atreides, said Villeneuve.

But after six years of filmmaking, he said heB次元官网网址檚 first going to take a few weeks or months off before thinking about his next project.

B次元官网网址淒une: Part TwoB次元官网网址� opens in theatres across Canada on Friday.

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