Dune Part 2 Director Denis Villeneuve Addresses Florence Pugh Casting Rumors

Dune Part Two director Denis Villeneuve addressed those Florence Pugh casting rumors. Outlets said that the Black Widow star would be playing Princess Irulan Corrino in the follow-up to the hit film. But, it doesn't seem like the director is ready to let the cat out of the bag yet. He told Deadline that, "there's been rumors" when directly asked about the idea of Pugh playing the character. For those who don't know, Princess Irulan is the oldest daughter of Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. Eventually, she becomes the wife of Paul Atreides in the novels. It seems like Villeneuve will get every opportunity to flesh out this world on film. Dune has been a white wale for the theater industry as the sweeping science fiction epic ended up having a hard time catching on until the most recent attempt. The genre is more popular than it's ever been, which certainly helps matters. But, something about Villeneuve's vision also struck a chord with the viewers out there. Hopefully, the next helping has Pugh in it.

"It's going to be another beautiful journey in the desert again," Villeneuve explained in the same interview. "It's the journey where Paul Atreides and his mother, Lady Jessica, make contact with the Fremen culture and meet with the Fremen," he added. "It's Paul's journey against the enemy ... It's a movie that will be more cinematic."

In a recent conversation with Collider, the director also revealed that the script is basically finished! "The screenplay is finished mostly, but it's always a work in progress," Villeneuve confirmed. "It'll be a work in progress until final cut, but I will say it's solidified. I have a script in my hands. We are in prep right now."

He also addressed some of the inherent pressure that comes with developing titles in this beloved franchise. The filmmaker admitted, "The first one, it was more to make sure that we will land in the world and that the movie will be accepted. 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."

Here's the official synopsis for the first Dune, "A mythic and emotionally charged hero's journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive."

Are you looking forward to Dune Part Two? Let us know down in the comments!