Lieutenant Lanville

This article or section refers to elements from Expanded Dune

Lieutenant Lanville (d. 10193 AG) was a House Atreides military officer who served as the Atreides Warmaster, Gurney Halleck's, second-in-command during the final years of the Corrino Empire.

Lanville served as overseer for some of the duties and activities of the Atreides' personal bodyguard and security personnel, as well as aiding in some of the Atreides' military logistics.

Biography[]

Lanville served as a lieutenant in the House Atreides military for an unknown time prior to 10191 AG.

Atreides control of Arrakis[]

On Caladan, Lanville led a technical crew that tended to Duncan Idaho's fighter after he conducted a flight patrol.

When House Atreides was granted stewardship of Arrakis, Lanville moved with the rest of the household to the desert world. Lanville was present with Duke Leto and his family, along with a squadron of bodyguards when their transport landed. He gave the order for the soldiers to activate their shields and escorted his overlord across the spaceport, later walking with Leto and Gurney Halleck as they inspected the Atreides legions. He later interrupted a conversation between Leto and Gurney to inform him about the sun's rising heat.

Lanville later attended a strategy meeting with the Atreides officers, sitting beside Duke Leto. He joined the others when Thufir Hawat showed the Duke the condition of their spice harvesting equipment and the quota they had to meet with spice production. After Duncan Idaho returned from his mission to find the Fremen, the sietch leader Stilgar arrived to speak with the Duke. Lanville was alarmed by the Fremen's lack of decorum and almost drew his blade with Gurney until Duncan told them to stand down. Lanville later sat in the barracks as Duncan told the men about the Fremen, inspecting a sand compactor that Gurney handed him.

Lanville later fought during the Siege of Arrakeen, ultimately becoming one of the very few survivors, but being captured by House Harkonnen and taken to Giedi Prime.

Harkonnen prisoner[]

Lanville was kept prisoner on the Harkonnen homeworld for two years, forced into becoming a slave gladiator to entertain the populace. He was eventually one of only three remaining Atreides prisoners.

In celebration of na-Baron Feyd-Rautha's birthday, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen arranged for the last Atreides survivors to fight his nephew in a rigged gladiator duel. The two other Atreides soldiers were restrained and drugged to inhibit their abilities, but the Baron withheld said drugs from Lanville, leaving his skills fully intact, as a surprise for his nephew.

As the Atreides entered the arena, several onlookers quickly noticed Lanville's undrugged state, alarming Lady Margot Fenring. Feyd-Rautha effortlessly killed the two weakened Atreides men and then fought Lanville, who put up a far greater fight, alerting Feyd to his undrugged state. Realising his uncle's actions, Feyd instead removed his personal shield, relishing the challenge of a skilled fighter and the intensity of dying. Several arena guards moved closer to the two to protect Feyd, with the duel continuing. Lanville proved to be an exceptional swordsman, though only armed with a knife, and was able to ward off the young Harkonnen's attacks. However, one of the arena guards stepped in and stabbed Lanville in the shoulder, enraging Feyd. Wounded, Lanville was quickly disarmed and tackled to the floor, with the two then grappling for control of Feyd's remaining white blade. Feyd ultimately prevailed and stabbed Lanville in the chest, then comforted him and praised his fighting skills, before dropping his lifeless body.

Appearances in Dune film adaptations[]

Dune (2021) - Lieutenant Lanville is alluded to or present in a number of scenes throughout the film. Duncan Idaho calls on him while inspecting an Atreides aircraft in the hangar of Castle Caladan. Along with Gurney Halleck, Lanville commands the Atreides honour guard in body armour during the Atreides arrival on Arrakis, at the Arrakeen spaceport. He's later present during duke Leto's meeting with Stilgar at the governor's palace (where Stilgar's spitting is initially misconstrued for an insult), as well as at the Atreides strategic meeting in the palace's meeting room and at the subsequent Atreides' inspection of the spice silos. During the night time attack on Arrakeen by the Harkonnen, he joins Gurney Halleck and Atreides soldiers in defending the city. As in Gurney's case, Lanville's fate is unclear from then on, until the sequel.
Dune: Part Two (2024) - The second film reveals that Lanville was among the Atreides troopers and security personnel captured by the invading Harkonnen forces. He's present at the Harkonnen arena on Giedi Prime as one of the last surviving Atreides soldiers. He takes the role of the unnamed Atreides soldier from the original novel who struggles valiantly in the unfair fight against Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, but is ultimately killed.

Gallery[]

Behind the scenes[]

A minor character created for the supporting cast of Denis Villeneuve's two-part film adaptation of Dune, lieutenant Lanville was played by the film series' fight choreography and stunt choreography trainer and coordinator, Roger Yuan. Lanville has a few lines in both films, especially the first, where he makes several appearances before his capture by the Harkonnen invading Arrakeen.

Trivia[]

Lanville is an original character created for the 2021 adaption of Dune.
He was portrayed by Roger Yuan, who also served as the fight/stunt coordinator in both of Denis Villeneuve's films.
During Paul's visions of the holy war after ingesting spice, Lanville can be seen as one of his commanders, standing behind Paul and Chani as they look at the Fedaykin legions on Caladan.
His short role in the second film was taken from an unnamed Atreides gladiator in the book, who was similarly undrugged and forced to fight Feyd-Rautha in an arena fight. The gladiator in the book was part of an assassination plot by Thufir Hawat against Feyd, one which ultimately failed when Feyd paralysed him with a conditioned code word.
- The book gladiator also notably carved the Atreides hawk symbol into his flesh, which Lanville also does in the second film, glimpsed briefly on his left forearm during the struggle for Feyd's shorter knife.