This week the spotlight is on the Harkonnens, with IGN publishing their feature containing a final set of character teasers for Dune: Part One. These three short vignettes feature the leadership of this powerful Major House, who are the main antagonists of the forthcoming movie.
House Harkonnen controlled the desert planet Arrakis for over half a century. In their selfish quest for wealth, the rulers ceaselessly ravaged its lands with heavy spice mining and subjugated the local population—the previous set of character teasers showcased that cruelty from the Fremen perspective. As the story of Dune begins, House Atreides are mandated by the Emperor to take over the coveted planet. The Harkonnens depart quietly, however have already set sinister plots in motion for their return…
Enjoy these three new teasers below.
Baron Harkonnen
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) has led his House for decades. Notorious for his cruelty and greed, this intelligent ruler is well versed in navigating the Machiavellian political landscape of the Imperium. The corpulent man uses anti-gravity suspensors to move around and levitate above the ground, making him an especially threatening presence.
The Baron relentlessly seeks destruction of their long-time rivals, House Atreides, and has no qualms in leveraging extortion and treachery to orchestrate this. His full ambitions extend far beyond revenge however—this is a man who seeks absolute power.
Beast Rabban
Glossu Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista), also known as ‘The Beast’, is the oldest nephew of the Baron. Although his uncle recognized the brutish man’s limitations as a leader, Rabban was appointed as governor of Arrakis, in order to instill fear into its populace. His tyrannical rule earned him the undying hatred of the the Fremen.
Piter de Vries
Piter de Vries (David Dastmalchian) is the mastermind behind the Harkonnens’ plot to annihilate House Atreides. In a society without any artificial intelligence or computers, possession of a Mentat—veritable walking computers who push the limits of the human brain—is critical for the survival of any faction. As a twisted Mentat, Piter exhibits disturbing psychopathic tendencies in addition to his superlative cognitive skills.
These three videos are also available on the IGN website, with additional commentary. As part of an ongoing “The Path to Dune” series, they’ll publish more Dune-related features on a bi-weekly basis in lead up to the movie’s premiere.
Dune will be released in the U.S. and Canada on October 22 and one day earlier in the U.K.
Source: IGN Movie Trailers YouTube channel (August 26, 2021)
