Kyle MacLachlan doesn’t have a cameo in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movie

Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of science fiction author Frank Herbert’s Dune will hit theaters this December. And while we’ve yet to see a teaser for the movie, we mostly know which actors are playing which characters. It’s an embarrassment of riches.

One notable actor, however, won’t be showing up: Kyle MaclachLan, who played lead character Paul Atreides in David Lynch’s 1984 Dune film.

Dune follows the young Paul as his noble family is betrayed on the desert planet of Arrakis, or Dune. Paul goes into hiding with his mother, and eventually works his way back to avenging his family. It’s a thrilling story rife with war, sex and giant creatures called sandworms. Basically, it’s Game of Thrones in space.

Anyway, while attending the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, MaclachLan was asked if he was going to have a cameo in Dune. “No,” he told IndieWire. “But I’m looking forward to seeing what Timothée [Chalamet] does with the role, and I think it’s going to be an interesting interpretation and great filmmaker, and so I’m excited.”

There you have it, no sneaky cameo from the original Paul Atreides. And that’s a good thing, because Dune is a dark and serious story, and I think a fan service-y cameo would take away from the heaviness of what’s happening on screen.

However, MacLachlan won’t rule out returning to another iconic franchise: he’s also the star of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, which recently had a third season after 25 years off the air. MacLachlan is up to return as Agent Dale Cooper, providing that the man behind the curtain has an idea. “That is in the mind of David Lynch, where it will stay hidden.”

While MacLachlan seems to have a genuine fondness for his part in Lynch’s Dune movie, it’s nothing compared to how he regards Twin Peaks. “We were all really excited,” he said season 3. “The high point for me was being invited to Cannes with David Lynch and they showed the first two episodes as if it was a film.”

"We had that experience. I’ll never have it again. I couldn’t believe it. And I was standing there with my good friend David Lynch. It’s in an experience I’ll cherish forever."

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune will hit theaters on December 20.

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