Dune: Part Two Casting Roundup
After the success of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One last year, Dune: Part Two is now in production. And that means casting news.
Austin Butler is Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
I know that many were holding on to find out the identity of the actor who would be embodying Feyd Rautha. Previously played by none other than Sting in the David Lynch movie, this version will see Austin Butler take on the role. We’ll wait to see if the costume will be similar (IYKYK).
Austin is best known for playing Wil Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles. He has also appeared in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, and is currently playing the title role in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic.
Florence Pugh is Princess Irulan Corino
After recent turns in blockbusters like Black Widow and Midsommar, Florence Pugh has joined the cast of Dune: Part Two as the Princess Irulan Corino. In the books the Princess’s involvement is limited to extracts of her writings about Muad’dib preceeding each chapter, and a brief appearance at the end, however her writings are very important to Paul’s story. If you’ve seen the David Lynch Dune you’ll be familiar with Virginia Madsen’s turn as Princess Irulan. Her fade in/fade out narrations of the legends of Muad’dib are pretty memorable. It’ll be interesting to see how they introduce her in Dune: Part Two as she has a big part to play in later books.
Christopher Walken as Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV
The Emperor of the Dune universe, and father to Princess Irulan, Shaddam IV was the one who sent Duke Leto Atreides to Arrakis in the first place, never intending for him to succeed on the desert planet. Acting legend Walken is certainly an intriguing choice for the role, possibly a little older than might have been expected, but I have no doubt he will own it, as he always does.
Fun fact – in 2001, Walken appeared in the (epic) music video for Fatboy Slim’s Weapon of Choice, a song which features the lyric “Walk without rhythm and you won’t attract the worm”… a Dune quotation. It’s fate! Check it out…
What do you think of the Dune: Part Two casting news so far? Happy with it or not? Sound off in the comments or on social media and let us know FANdemaniacs.
