Marketing for new film Dune sparks criticism

The newly released film Dune is making waves, both good and bad. Fans are upset that billboards and promo shots highlighting Zendaya don’t match the character’s screen time -- or lack thereof.

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The sci-fi film Dune, based on a book series, premiered earlier this month and is set in the future of a complex feudal society. Zendaya’s character, Chani, is integral to the story. However, her character, though key to the plot, barely appears in the film.

Even Zendaya shares that her character, Chani, has much more to come.

ZENDAYA: I think we just kind of scratched the surface of these characters.

In promotional ads and billboards, Zendaya’s face has been plastered next to Timothée Chalamet’s, who plays the film’s main character. Fans were eager to see the stars grace the screen together but once the film released, audiences were quick to share their disappointment.

Cinema and media studies student Annabelle G. read the novel and knew what to expect. She points out that there are many differences in the perspectives people have.

ANNABELLE G: People are super angry about how little she was on screen.

When you first search the film Dune on Google, the first question to pop up is, “Is Zendaya even in Dune?”

The answer, yes but barely. Her voice both opens and closes the film, but still, Zendaya does not show up until about two hours and 20 minutes into the film. When she finally does, she graces the screen for a mere fifteen minutes.

Gene Del Vecchio, professor of entertainment marketing at Marshall says that, while Zendaya’s lack of screen time was noticeable, it didn’t take away from her character’s impact in the film.

GENE DEL VECCHIO: The importance of Zendaya’s role as Chani in Dune should not be measured by the amount of time she had on-screen, but instead, by the influence her character had on Paul Atreides played by Timothée Chalamet.

Zendaya herself acknowledged her smaller presence in the film.

ZENDAYA: We don’t really know much about her. We kind of only get glimpses of her

and views of her from Paul’s visions, 00:54.

The underwhelming use of the actor in the film stirred up outrage on social media, with Twitter users saying that they felt a bit misled with the film’s marketing.

ANNABELLE G: Film students essentially selling their actors to increase viewers and increase the amount of tickets that are bought.

However, this is not anything new, as fans have been Zendaya-fished by studios before.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Zendaya’s character MJ was on screen yet again not for very long.

Annabelle, studying this subject has a more nuanced perspective.

ANNABELLE G: I think this market ploy is very common, especially in filmmaking. And I don’t think people are unaware of it, and I think people actually appreciate it often. There are so many times when I will watch a movie solely because a certain actor is in it.

But good news for the future.

Although Zendaya had a smaller role in Dune, fans can expect to see more of her in the sequel. In fact, Dune’s director, Denis Villeneuve had previously stated that he plans for Chani to be the main protagonist in Dune: Part Two and for the story to be told from her point of view.

While the sequel is great news for Zendaya fans, the question of who is valued in the promotion process still remains.

ANNABELLE G: Who is the filmmaker going to try and please more?