Dune: Part Two Adds Christopher Walken to Cast

Dune 2 will be adding Christopher Walken to its all-star ensemble cast. Walken has been cast in the role of Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, ruler of the known universe in Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi series. It was Shaddam who sent the Atreides family to the planet Arrakis to preserve the spice trade there – a decision that sparked a war between the Atreides and House Harkonnen and led to the downfall of the former. In Dune: Part Two, Shaddam and Harkonnen ruler Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgård) will try to hold Arrakis against the uprising by the Fremen and Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). 

Previous casting for Dune: Part Two has revealed that Florence Pugh will play Prince Irulan Corrino, who is the daughter of Emperor Shaddam, and plays a pivotal role in the larger Dune saga. Dune: Part Two will cover the second half of Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi novel, the first of a six-novel set (which was later expanded into prequel and sequel series). The film franchise has already won six Oscars (out of 10 nominations) and earned over $400 million at the worldwide box office. 

Rumors are a third Dune movie will follow, adapting Herbert's first sequel novel, Dune Messiah. That book ends the story of Paul (Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya). There's already a spinoff series, Dune: The Sisterhood, in the works for HBO Max.

"It's gonna be intense," Denis Villeneuve said about the sequel. "I'm in prep right now. Monday morning, as soon as we leave Los Angeles, it will be to start to go on with prep. I cannot say nothing about the movie – I don't like to talk about projects as I am doing them – but it's probably going to be the biggest challenge of my career, again, because it's even more complex than Part One."

"The first one, it was more to make sure that we will land in the world and that the movie will be accepted," Villeneuve added in a different interview. "Now it's to make sure that we can close that first book, so it's like there's some premises that are in the first movie that I need to ignore. So yeah, I think I would say there's more pressure with the second one in some ways."

The sequel will bring back Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atredies, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Zendaya as Chani. Austin Butler will play Feyd-Rautha, ambitious nephew of Baron Harkonnen. 

Dune: Part Two before it lands in theaters on October 20, 2023.

Source: THR