Original Dune Star Kyle MacLachlan Welcomes Timothee Chalamet to the Role of Paul Atreides

Dune hit theaters and HBO Max last night, and it had a strong opening night at the box office. The movie already has an 84% critics score and a 94% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a lot better than David Lynch’s version of Dune from 1984, which has a 45% critics score and 65% audience score. However, folks have come to appreciate Lynch’s version over time, and it’s become a bit of a cult classic. The original movie was led by Kyle MacLachlan, who took to Instagram this week to express his excitement for the new version and welcome Timothée Chalamet to the role of Paul Atreides.

“I’m so excited for the new #DuneMovie, introducing Frank Herbert’s novel to a new generation and to see @tchalamet, ‘walk without rhythm’ and become Muad’dib!🚶🏻〰️🐛,” MacLachlan wrote. He also gave credit to the fan art he posted, which was created by Instagram users @_quirkydaisy, @emilielassoued, and @artintape. You can check out his post below:

Last year, MacLachlan shared with ComicBook.com just how excited he was for this new take on Dune, knowing the talents of director Denis Villeneuve.

“I am looking forward to seeing it. I think Denis is such a wonderful filmmaker,” MacLachlan shared. “He’s put together a really cool cast. I’ve [loved the books since] I first read them back in, I think I was 15, so like 1972-73. And I remain a fan, particularly of the first book. I think it’s one of my favorites, if not my favorite book ever. I would read it every year. So I come at it from a different perspective than David, of course, and I think that the book is so rich and the relationships are so interesting and there are so many ways to interpret it. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does.”

In another recent interview with Seattle Times, MacLachlan admitted he was disappointed that the new Dune was getting released on HBO Max at the same time it was hitting theaters. “I think the simultaneous release is kind of the wave of the future,” MacLachlan explained. “It’s disheartening though because a movie like that is meant to be seen on the large screen.”

The new Dune is based on the novel by Frank Herbert and stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet-Kynes, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Stellan Skarsgård as Vladimir Harkonnen.

Dune is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.