The director of the upcoming sci-fi epic Dune, Denis Villeneuve, has revealed his plan for an immediate follow-up to the film, with Disney Channel star and MCU Spider-Man actress Zendaya’s character Chani becoming a larger focus. The first film is set to release this fall, in addition to Zendaya, Dune stars Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Jason Mamoa, and Javier Bardem, amongst others.

It is an adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same title by Frank Herbert, which was first adapted in 1984 by David Lynch.

Villeneuve, who spoke with Italian magazine Il Venerdì di Repubblica (which was later translated by IGN), was excited to work on Dune: Part 2 and confirmed that Zendaya would be the female protagonist of the story. “I’m honored to present on-screen two talents that are so explosive, and I can’t wait to shoot the second part of Dune to get them back together. Knowing that in the next chapter Zendaya will be a [major part] of the story.”

Zendaya will continue to play a large role in the sequel, while Chalamet’s Paul will still be the central focus. However, Zendaya’s role in the sequel will seemingly be larger than the first.

It’s a planned duology that tells the tale of a power struggle between two houses, Atreides and Harkonnen, in a distant future, where a psychotropic resource known as Melange is the most sought after in all the universe.

Dune was in production for several years, originally slated to premiere on November 2020, but was delayed due to the infamous COVID-19 pandemic. Despite claims of a 45-day exclusive theatrical release run, it is currently set for a same-day release with HBO Max on October 22nd.