Dune remake reveals our first look of Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides

(Image credit: Vanity Fair/Warner Bros. Pictures)

We finally have our first look at Denis Villeneuve's take on the sci-fi classic Dune – a shot of Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides.

Vanity Fair has provided the first look, which shows the reluctant hero Paul Atreides on the shores of his home planet, Caladan, with transport ships coming in behind him. As the story goes, Paul's father, Duke Leto Atreides (played by Oscar Issac, ah!) is reassigned to the planet Arrakis, a desert world known for its spice melange, the most valuable export in the universe. But the royal decree that gives Leto reign over Arrakis ousts the members of House Harkonnen, a devious family dead-set on exploiting Arrakis and destroying House Atreides in one fell swoop. Paul must learn to live on the harsh planet of Arrakis (aka Dune) and amongst its native people, the Fremen.

“The immediately appealing thing about Paul was the fact that in a story of such detail and scale and world-building, the protagonist is on an anti-hero’s-journey of sorts,” Chalamet tells Vanity Fair.

The star-studded cast includes Chalamet and Issac, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Zendaya as Freman woman Chani, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho. Villeneuve (best known for Arrival and Blade Runner 2049) is taking on a big challenge with Dune, on arguably the most important science-fiction series in history. David Lynch's 1984 take on the Frank Herbert classic is something of a cult classic but otherwise maligned as a convoluted attempt at the epic.

Villeneuve's Dune is hitting theaters on December 18 (it's one of the few films not delayed by the spread of COVID-19). Expect an even deeper look at one of 2020's most anticipated films by way of Vanity Fair - the publication is set to debut more images on April 14.

Speaking of, here's every TV show and movie delayed by the coronavirus.

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.