Dune Part 2 spoilers: how could 2024 film end based on Frank Herbert books, which novel is it based on?

Dune Part 2 is likely to be one of the biggest cinematic events of 2024 - the eagerly anticipated sequel to the first film starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, will continue the story of Paul Atreides and the Fremen on the desert planet of Arrakis.

Whilst some film fans are eagerly waiting to find out what will happen to Paul, the Baron, and the various other players in the epic fantasy movie, fans of the book series it is based on will already have a good idea of what to expect from the sequel.

*Possible spoilers for Dune Part 2 plot*

What could happen in Dune Part 2?

The first film was a fairly faithful adaptation of the source material, so it’s fair to assume that Part 2 will also closely follow the main plot points of the book it is based on.

In Frank Herbert’s novel, Paul takes on a religious status among the Fremen, taking on the Muad’Dib. He begins to understand the true nature of his powers which allows him to see far into the future and the past.

Most of the second film will take place around two years after the events of Part 1, and is likely to follow the Baron on the planet Harkonnen as he schemes to wrest power from the Emperor. 

On Arrakis, Paul will grow in power and father a child with a Chani, the Fremen woman of whom he had visions in the first film and met towards the end of the movie, whilst Paul’s mother will have also given birth to a child, the daughter of Duke Leto who was killed in Part 1.

Paul trains the Fremen in the weirding fighting style in preparation for a major battle as they plan for a raid on the capital of Arrakis. In the climax of the novel, the Emperor travels to the planet but his fleet is attacked by the Fremen. The Baron is killed in the fighting, and Paul’s son is assassinated in a raid.

Paul asks to marry the emperor’s daughter, Princess Irulan, despite his love for Chani, and demands that the emperor step down. He takes part in a duel with the Baron’s nephew, Feyd-Rautha, and kills him. The Emperor agrees to abdicate, and Paul makes plans to marry Irulan, and becomes the new Emperor. 

The official plot of Dune Part 2 has not been confirmed, but given that this is how the original book is resolved, and was also the plot the of the 1984 adaptation, it is very likely that this is the general pattern that the upcoming film will follow.

Which book is Dune Part 2 based on?

Dune Part 2 is adapted from the first novel in the Dune series by author Frank Herbert. The first film, released in 2021, was based on roughly the first half of the 1965 classic sci-fi novel, following Paul Atreides from his arrival on Arrakis up to his integration with the Fremen tribe.

Part 2 is expected to be based on the second half of the novel as Paul becomes recognized by the Fremen as something close to a religious prophet. 

Herbert wrote six Dune novels himself, which makes up the main series, but several other books which are also part of the canon were later written by his son Brian, and sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson.