After years of notoriety among the science fiction community, Dune has officially become a blockbuster franchise, with the first film opening to great acclaim and an impressive box office last fall. A sequel, Dune: Part Two, has since been greenlit, and will combine a roster of veteran and new actors to tell its massive story. One of the newest additions to the franchise will be Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha — and the actor recently teased his excitement about the role. In a recent interview with TotalFilm (via GamesRadar), Butler remained vague about the specifics of the sequel, but indicated his “huge admiration” or director Denis Villeneuve.
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“I don’t know what I can say about this,” Butler explained. “What I can say is that I have such a huge admiration for Denis [Villineuve] and would jump at any opportunity to collaborate with him on anything. He’s such an incredible filmmaker, and brings with him so many other amazing artists. And I loved the first film. So, yeah, I’m trying to be vague. But I really love Denis a lot!”
Dune: Part Two is also expected to see the return of Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atredies, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Zendaya as Chani, with Christopher Walker playing Emperor Shaddam IV, and Florence Pugh in negotiations to play Princess Irulan.
“We have been hearing in the past few decades that it’s not possible to adapt this book, and that it’s an impossible task. I think that in the back of the mind of the studio, it’s still the same!” Villeneuve told Total Film in an interview last year. “So the first thing was to prove that there was a beautiful, popular movie that can exist, and I think that I proved that – everybody at Warner Bros and Legendary, they are 100 percent behind the project. They feel that it would need a really bad outcome at the box office to not have a Dune: Part Two, because they love the movie. They are proud of the movie, so they want the movie to move forward. And they still did half of it. So, you know, I’m very optimistic.”
“I’m writing [Part Two] now, and I feel like I’m eight years old again,” he added. “That’s very uncommon for me. It’s the first time I’ve experienced it where I’m watching one of my movies, and I have a moment of deep gratitude, of deep joy, and I say, ‘Thank you, life, for having allowed me to bring that to the screen.’ [laughs] I don’t know how other people will feel about it. But me? Denis Villeneuve when he was 14 years old? Thank you.”
Are you excited for Dune: Part 2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Dune: Part 2 is currently scheduled to be released on October 20, 2023.
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Image Courtesy of HBO
