Denis Villeneuve has decided that the legendary Christopher Walken is intimidating enough to give Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides a run for his money in the upcoming Dune: Part Two.
Per Deadline, the celebrated actor is joining the star-studded cast of the sequel to portray Shaddam, one of Paul’s many enemies in Frank Herbert’s Dune. With the god-emperor out of the way, Villeneuve has now nailed the most important parts of the royal household after casting Florence Pugh as Shaddam’s daughter, Princess Irulan.
The last we heard of Dune: Part Two, Villeneuve confirmed that the movie is in pre-production, with filming expected to start in summer. This will be the acclaimed sci-fi director’s most ambitious undertaking yet, because this is where all of that build-up in the original movie finally pays off. It wouldn’t be an overstatement, in fact, to suggest that the remaining chapters make Part One look like a simple prologue in comparison.
Paul has officially joined the Fremen society to begin his training as Kwisatz Haderach, the prophesied hero who’ll free Arrakis from the influence of the empire. Re-joining Chalamet’s chosen one on this next outing will be Josh Brolin (Gurney Halleck), Dave Bautista (Rabban Harkonnen), Zendaya (Chani), Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica), and Javier Bardem (Stilgar), while Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, and Austin Butler comprise some of the new additions.
Dune: Part Two is currently slated for an Oct. 20, 2023 premiere in theaters, but that could change if the crew decides to delay the movie like they did the original for any potential creative reasons.