As always, the 2024 Sundance Film Festival gave us several likely Oscar nominees. Keiran Culkin for “A Real Pain,” documentaries “Union” or “Daughters“,” and, potentially, Sebastian Stan for “A Different Man.” But there was no Best Picture player in the vein of “Past Lives” or “CODA” in Park City last month, at least, there didn’t seem to be. The industry hasn’t had to wait much longer for the first Oscar powerhouse, though. Yes, Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” is 10 days away from setting the hearts of movie fans and cinephiles ablaze.
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Granted, the second part in Villeneuve’s “Dune” trilogy (or series?) was always expected to be an awards season player. Despite debuting during the pandemic, the first “Dune” earned 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and won six trophies including Original Score (Hans Zimmer), Sound, Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, and Visual Effects. The awards season marathon has a long way to go, but we’d be shocked if the Warner Bros. release didn’t crack at least 12 nominations the second time around.
Villeneuve will be up for Directing consideration after getting snubbed in 2022 (he earned a DGA nomination but “Drive My Car’s” Ryusuke Hamaguchi surpassed him for the Oscar nom). Greta Gerwig‘s experience this past year reminds us that nothing is a given, but Villeneuve’s talent in ratcheting up the tension and stakes for “Part Two” will make his candidacy hard to ignore. Also, unlike the first movie, the sequel has legit acting contenders in the mix.
First up is Austin Butler who joins the cast as the psychotic Feyd-Rautha. Butler, who earned his first nomination for “Elvis,” gives another transformative performance and we’re not just talking about his shaved head and eyebrows. This is a complete 180 from anything Butler has done before and he practically steals the movie. He’ll absolutely be in the Supporting Actor mix (and he thankfully no longer sounds like Elvis off-screen).
Zendaya, who had a small role in the first movie, is much more prominent in the sequel. Is her performance as Chani as emotionally deep as her Emmy-winning work on “Euphoria”? No, but she’s genuinely fantastic as her character’s skepticism of Paul Atreides’ motivations grows. Paul is once again portrayed by Timothee Chalamet, who is quite good but will need to benefit from an “apparent” weak Best Actor class (quite common these days) and universal adoration for the movie to snag a nomination
Rebecca Ferguson returns as Paul’s mother Jessica, but her character’s turn isn’t as nuanced as a number of her co-stars. That’s not Ferguson’s fault, but perhaps the difference between what would have been a 4-hour and the 2-hour and 46-minute movie Villeneuve has crafted. Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken deliver quality performances, but nothing that will make SAG or AMPAS voters take notice (although this is certainly a SAG Ensemble player).
Zimmer, Greig Fraser (Cinematography), Joe Walker (Editing), and Patrice Vermette (Production Design) should all expect repeat nominations. As should the Visual Effects, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Sounds teams. In theory, Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts should earn another Adapted Screenplay nod, but considering how competitive that category always is, it’s certainly a question mark.
It goes without saying that “Dune: Part Two’s” March 1st release date should not be a hindrance in its long-term quest to earn Oscar nominations. While historically early for a Best Picture nominee, “Black Panther” (February 16), “Get Out” (February 27), “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (March 7), and “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (March 25) all opened in the same time frame and made the cut. And one of those movies even took the crown.
For those keeping tabs, the next known potential Oscar players include George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Inside Out 2,” and another delayed 2023 release, “The Bikeriders.” After those three films and whatever makes noise at Cannes, pickings appear to be slim until the annual fall festival deluge.
“Dune: Part Two” opens nationwide on March 1.