Dave Bautista is the latest actor to join director Denis Villeneuve‘s upcoming adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet claims Bautista will be playing “Beast” Rabban, “the sadistic nephew of a baron who oversees Arrakis.”
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The duo previously collaborated on Blade Runner 2049.
Bautista joins previously announced cast Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, “the son of the ruler of the family, who is forced to escape into the desert wastelands and partner with its nomadic tribes. Using enhanced mental abilities, he eventually rises to become their ruler, with the nomads believing he is their messiah, and leads an army to overthrow the empire.” Rebecca Ferguson will be playing his mother, Lady Jessica.
While news of Bautista joining the project is sure to excite many, it may also be a disappointing reminder that we won’t be seeing him as Drax in a Guardians of the Galaxy film anytime soon. The project was originally slated to head into production early this year, though the firing of James Gunn has resulted in the film being delayed indefinitely. Bautista, in particular, has been vocally decrying Disney for their decision to part ways with the director, which could ultimately result in a third film focusing on new characters.
Dune was previously adapted into a film in 1984 from director David Lynch, though that film failed to capture the many complex themes of the source material. Villeneuve seems fully prepared to compensate for that adaptation’s shortcomings, detailing his approach to Yahoo! Movies.
“David Lynch did an adaptation in the ’80s that has some very strong qualities,” the filmmaker revealed. “I mean, David Lynch is one of the best filmmakers alive, I have massive respect for him. But when I saw his adaptation, I was impressed, but it was not what I had dreamed of, so I’m trying to make the adaptation of my dreams. It will not have any link with the David Lynch movie. I’m going back to the book, and going to the images that came out when I read it.”
Throughout the ’70s and early-’80s, seminal filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky attempted to adapt the project, despite running into multiple roadblocks along the way. The rights for the project eventually lapsed, though many of his pitched concepts and storyboards found their way into not only Dune, but multiple sci-fi projects throughout the following decade, as chronicled in the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune.
The story was last adapted into a mini-series for SYFY in 2000.
Stay tuned for details about Dune.
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