Much has been made of Hollywood's current charisma drought, as well as the disappearance of The Movie Star, but one only has to think of Timothée Chalamet and his "Dune" co-star, Zendaya, as evidence to the contrary. Though they play virtual strangers in the first installment of Denis Villenueve's proposed trilogy, "Dune" diehards know that Chalamet's Paul Atreides and Zendaya's Chani are pretty much destined to become a power couple. The idea of an off-screen romance between the "Dune" co-stars felt like a sure thing for a minute too — but in actuality, Chalamet and Zendaya are just really good buddies.

When the pair first met on the set of "Dune: Part One," they found common ground fairly quickly. "I was the only other person closer to his age on the cast. So he was like, 'Awesome, someone who understands my jokes!'" Zendaya told Vogue UK in 2021. Since they didn't share many scenes in the first film, the two became close friends off-screen, throwing dance parties in Zendaya's trailer and growing even closer on the "Dune" press tour. With "Dune: Part Two," however, Zendaya becomes a true co-lead to Chalamet, and that proximity created an even stronger bond between the two actors.

'She's Really Become A Sister'

Warner Bros. Pictures wasted little time in greenlighting "Dune: Part Two," which allowed for a quick production that wrapped in December 2022. That November, Chalamet spoke with Variety about the new dynamics at play in the sequel. "Part Two" will introduce a whole new cast of characters to the world, while also expanding Zendaya's role as Chani, Chalamet said:

"She's bringing exactly what she brought to the first one — which was incredible — but in greater abundance. And she's really become a sister. I'm so grateful to count her as a partner and a sister and a friend, and also to share stories about how amazing it is to work with Luca [Guadagnino], because we worked with him back to back on wildly different projects."

Chalamet reunited with "Call Me By Your Name" director Luca Guadagnino for "Bones and All," a grungy horror-romance, in 2021. And shortly before "Dune: Part Two," Guadagnino and Zendaya collaborated for the first time on "Challengers," a tense sports comedy set in the world of professional tennis. It's true that the two projects couldn't be more different, but both are exciting for the same reasons. Guadagnino is one of the most interesting filmmakers working right now, and the same could clearly be said for Chalamet and Zendaya. With so much common ground between the two actors, hopefully, "Dune" won't be the last we see of their partnership.

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