You don’t make a movie as sumptuous and engrossing as Dune: Part Two and not think of every little detail. How the planets move, who all the people are, how people get off the sandworm. In preparing and making both Dune films, Denis Villeneuve thought of everything. And, to illustrate that, in a new interview he really, really gets into it.
Previously, Villeneuve had an answer when io9 asked him how the Fremen, a culture based on sustainability, would retrieve the thumpers that they use to call sandworms. The answer? They dig through sandworm shit. But that’s not the only bodily fluid the director considered in his world, as a new interview with the New York Times reveals.
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In the piece, Villeneuve answers questions about Fremen kissing as well as, well, sex. “You cannot have sex outside, for sure,” Villeneuve said. “But [the Fremen] are very sexual. I suspect that all sexual intercourse happens in environments that are protected from losing moisture. When they are in their sietches [or caves] underground, those are sealed. You don’t need to wear stillsuits inside them. We can deduce from that there is no problem to have sex in a sietch.”
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But that’s not all. When asked about Chani’s comment about Paul walking drunk, Villeneuve discusses his knowledge of Fremen partying. “There is spice beer,” he said. “In the book, there are Fremen parties, even some orgies involving spice. I didn’t bring that into the movies because it’s PG-13.”
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His knowledge and level of thinking go beyond sex and drugs too. He’s asked a pointed question about Bene Gesserit grooming and what would’ve happened if Lady Jessica had, in fact, had a daughter with Leto Atreides as she was supposed to, and if that child would’ve ended up having a child with Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.
“Yeah. They are trying to increase the potential of humanity by breeding the best specimen of each tribe or family,” Villeneuve said. “A baby between Feyd-Rautha and an Atreides daughter would have brought peace between Harkonnens and the Atreides, and created an über being.”
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From sandworm shit and sietch sex to spice orgies and über beings, Denis Villeneuve really did think of it all.
Dune: Part Two is still in theaters but also now available on digital.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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