Timothée Chalamet, left, as Paul Atreides and Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros.

Get ready for ‘Dune: Part Two’

“Dune: Part Two” is opening around the world this weekend. Our critic Manohla Dargis wrote that it wasted no time picking up where the first film left off — and in bold style. In short, she said, “it’s a blast.”

Adapting a novel that’s over 500 pages into a film is a feat only slightly less daunting than riding a monstrous sandworm across the desert. There’s a lot to cover. Luckily, my colleague Danielle Dowling is here to explain what to know before watching the film.

For a peek behind the screen, The Times had a chat with Timothée Chalamet, who plays the hero, and the director Denis Villeneuve. They discussed the impossible quest for onscreen perfection and a potential third film.