This week has plenty of big casting news for blockbusters like Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimerepic andDune: Part Two, and it continues today asElvisstar Austin Butler is being eyed to join Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sequel as the villainous Feyd-Rautha.
After being greenlit a week afterDune’stheatrical release back in October,Dune: Part Twois now slated to begin shooting this summer. With its pre-production well underway, more casting news has been surfacing online and will likely continue in the coming weeks, as more characters will be featured in the epic sequel that will cover the second half of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed 1965 novel.
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Deadline reports that Butler is talks to play the Harkonnen Feyd-Rautha, a character who was portrayed by Sting inDavid Lynch’s infamous 1984Duneadaptationand one many fans thoughtEternalsstar Barry Keoghan would play in the upcoming sequel. The younger brother of Glossu Rabban and the nephew and heir of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the cruel and treacherous Feyd-Rautha eventually becomes one of Paul’s main foes, as his role in the later half of the novel is a pivotal one. Legendary reportedly had no comment on news of Butler’s being in negotiations.
Butler’s casting news comes shortly after it was announced thatFlorence Pugh has also been in talksto join the sequel as Princess Irulan Corrino, the eldest daughter to Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. Bringing in two incredible talents like Butler and Pugh to join an already stacked ensemble,Dune: Part Twois shaping up to be a worthy second chapter that could most certainly surpass its predecessor.
Villeneuve has also shared with Empire that, much like the novel,Dune: Part Twowill focus heavilyon the Harkonnens and be a more fun film, as the story inDunewas about Paul’s journey coming in contact with a different culture and the Bene Gesserit. Now that the world of Arrakis has been established, all bets are off as to what Villeneuve will deliver on the big screen.
Aside from starring in Baz Luhrmann’sElvisbiopic, which is set to release on June 24 and is role that could propel Butler to become a frontrunner for next year’s awards season, Butler is also known for his work inQuentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood,The Dead Don’t Die, and ABC’sSwitched at Birthseries. He will also appear in the upcoming World War II drama miniseriesMasters of the Airfor Apple TV Plus.
Dune: Part Twowill arrive in theaters on June 26, 2025.
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