In another timeline Dune: Part Two would have already come and (maybe) went. The sequel was originally scheduled for a Thanksgiving release, but Hollywood studios heads played hardball with two union guilds, so now it’s due in less than a month. That’s not too far off, and its ad campaign has already reached some new, weird heights: Last week AMC Theatres unveiled their new Dune popcorn bucket, which uses a sandworm mouth as the lid. It’s the stuff of nightmares, which SNL made sure to parody on their latest episode.
During their episode with Ayo Edebiri and Jennifer Lopez (plus, for some reason, GOP second placer Nikki Haley), SNL dropped a pre-taped sketch in which a group of teens (Edebiri among them) get all hot and bothered by the promotional item. Of particular note was the, um, well, weirdly sexual nature of the sandworm mouth, which does not go unnoticed by the bevy of teens, including one played by Marcello Hernandez.
“I’m a gentle teenage boy with an innocent heart but you found a way to touch it,” Hernandez sings. “And now that my parents are gone, I’m going to lose my virginity to the Dune popcorn bucket.
“Oh, play my heartstrings just like a fiddle,” he continues, “and I’m not scared of the teeth in the middle.”
Eventually everyone’s taking their sandworm-affixed buckets to the prom as dates. “Around the world, children will buy this, got two popcorn buckets. We didn’t make this up, this is a real thing,” the ensemble sings. “Can’t wait to see Dune 2 eating popcorn out of my bucket. Then after, I’ll take it home and f*ck it.”
What would Dune author Frank Herbert, a serious man who made a game-changing sci-fi opus that’s packed silly with dense ideas, think of this sketch? He’d almost certainly be horrified at how his work has evolved into a bit about teens getting it on with sandworm mouths. Or maybe he’d be pleasantly surprised. Who’s to say?
Whatever the case, you can watch the sketch in the video. Dune: Part Two hits theaters on March 1.