The Dune Part Two Trailer Features Sandworm-Riding Techniques Straight From The Book

The freshly debuted trailer for "Dune: Part Two" unspools with a cascade of electrifying imagery from director Denis Villeneuve's eagerly anticipated follow-up to the first, critically acclaimed installment of this epic franchise. The behemoth Arrakis sandworm makes a fleeting but awe-inspiring appearance among all the character reveals, breathtaking interplanetary vistas, and off-world action glimpsed in the trailer. And seen eventually hoisting himself up aboard one of these gigantic creatures is Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides.

As fans of Frank Herbert's iconic novel "Dune" understand, sandworms are enormous lifeforms native to the planet Arrakis. Evolved to live beneath the dune seas of Arrakis, these mysterious animals are central to the creation of the priceless Spice Melange. And Spice, of course, is what makes interplanetary travel possible. But sandworms also occupy a key role in the life of the native Freman peoples of Arrakis, and risking your life to ride one of them is a holy rite of passage. As we see in the trailer, Paul is determined to undergo this ritual, by first deploying a thumper, which draws a sandworm to the surface. He then uses a pair of hand-held maker hooks to latch onto the scaly, segmented side of the sandworm and work his way up onto its back. And as any self-respecting "Dune" devotee can tell you, these two pieces of equipment are authentic canon, as depicted in Herbert's writing. 

As the trailer for "Dune: Part Two" reveals, Timothée Chalamet's Paul sets out to prove himself to his adoptive Freman clan by first attracting a sandworm and then riding the enormous beast. Aficionados of Frank Herbert's novel understand that the momentary scenes of Paul's encounter with the sandworm are rich with references to the lore of the intricately detailed "Dune" universe.

In respect to sandworm-riding, the thumper that Paul stabs into the side of a sand dune is seen to begin a rhythmical, pounding vibration. This sound summons a worm, which then bursts from deep beneath the ground. This response, as detailed in the book, is due to the worm's well-known territoriality and their violent defensive reaction to any incursion into their desert realm. Then there are the maker hooks wielded by Paul. 

As it turns out, sandworms are also known as Makers, in the spiritual tradition of the Freman. The maker hooks that Paul uses to climb up onto a sandworm are then also used to steer the creature while on its back. And if the depiction of these two key Freman items in the trailer is any indication, fans can look forward to a film that remains scrupulously faithful to Herbert's original galaxy-spanning sci-fi classic when "Dune: Part Two" premieres exclusively in theaters on November 3rd.