“They forced an Indian accent”: ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Suffers From the Same Problem That Plagued Both Dune: Part 2 and Gladiator 2

Dune: Prophecy is the latest addition to the live-action Dune universe, which Denis Villeneuve laid the foundations for in 2021. Since then, the franchise has expanded with another movie and a brand-new prequel series. The excitement for this new series has been at an all-time high, and the third episode has recently dropped.

The third episode introduced the younger version of Sister Francesca, and fans have not failed to notice the difference in her accent compared to the accents of the other Sisters. However, it turns out that Dune: Part 2 and Gladiator 2 have similar issues regarding accents, and it has not gone unnoticed at all, as some might think that it would.

Dune: Part 2 Has the Same Kind of Accent Issue as Dune: Prophecy

Dune: Part 2 saw more of Paul Atreides’s (Timothée Chalamet) interactions with the Fremen people of the planet Arrakis, including his love interest, Chani (Zendaya). In the movie, some might have noticed that Chani has an American accent which is in stark contrast to the other Fremen people, whose accents have more Eastern intonations.

Similarly, Chalamet seems to be using his original voice to play Paul unlike his on-screen mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), whose accent is unique in itself which might be because she was born and raised on a different planet. A Redditor pointed out all of this in their post. While this might not seem like a big deal, it does interfere with the immersion the audience feels while watching the movie.

Recently, the third episode of Dune: Prophecy was released and featured Bridgerton star Charithra Chandran as the younger version of Sister Francesca from the Bene Gesserit. The character notably has an Indian accent which seems out of place in the setting of the show since the other characters have a different accent.

An Indian Redditor took to the platform to express their displeasure about this. Some people pointed out that this might be because the actress, Tabu, who plays the older version of Francesca, is originally Indian. Francesca’s accent could also be different because there might be many other planets and maybe the occupants of one of those planets use an Indian accent.

Gladiator II Also Got Into a Controversy Due to the Difference in Accent

Gladiator II was one of the most anticipated movies of this year. Starring Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, and Joe Quinn as lead characters and under Ridley Scott’s masterful filmmaking, the film is a visual masterpiece and fans are in love with it. However, like most other things, it is not entirely perfect.

One of the things that attracted controversy was Denzel Washington‘s accent which was evidently his own. So, basically, Macrinus sounds like a New Yorker and fans were quick to notice this from the trailer itself. The issue with this happens to be that not only does Macrinus sound out of place in ancient Rome, but it also historically incorrect because Macrinus was known to be from Africa – Mauretania (now Algeria).

Additionally, Paul Mescal, who plays Lucius, has his accent all over the place throughout the film. Lucius primarily speaks in an English accent, but it shifts to his original accent, Irish oftentimes. This fluctuation in accent makes the film less immersive and affects viewers’ ability to stay connected with the story. Now, these inconsistencies in accent do not directly affect the film, but the inconsistency is not also completely ignorable.

Dune: Prophecy and Dune: Part Two are available for streaming on Max.