Jason Momoa talks Dune: “I’ve never been a part of something so big”

One of the biggest sci-fi movies schedule to come out this year — maybe in the last 10 years — is most definitely Dune, Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 novel. Set in the far distant future after humanity has colonized the galaxy, Dune follows Paul Atreides, the heir to a noble house who finds himself in dire straights on the desert planet of Arrakis, aka Dune, which is at the center of an interplanetary conflict for control of the known universe.

Yeah, it’s big. And Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) is going all out to make sure this adaptation lives up to its source material. The photography is beautiful, and the cast is absolutely stacked with talent. Timothée Chalamet is Paul, Oscar Isaac plays his father Duke Leto Atreides, Zendaya is his love interest Chani, Josh Brolin his tutor Gurney Halleck, and it just goes on like that.

We’ve also got Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, another of Paul’s tutors. Talking to Ellen DeGeneres (remotely, of course, because coronavirus), Momoa said that he’d “never been a part of something so big.” And he was Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones and Aquaman in Aquaman, so that’s saying something.

“I get to play this character Duncan Idaho, who’s kind of a master swordsman who’s made the right-hand man to Duke Leto who is Oscar Isaac,” Momoa explained. “He’s the first person to be sent out to land on Dune and that’s when I meet the character that Javier Bardem plays.

"I can’t believe I had a scene with Javier Bardem! It’s a pretty massive film and I get to be this little — he’s kind of the Han Solo-esque of the group. He’s this rogue warrior who protects Timothée Chalamet (Paul Atreides) and serves Oscar Isaac."

Javier Bardem plays Stilgar, a leader of the Fremen, who are the native people of Dune.

It’s interesting that these two have a scene together. In the book, Duncan Idaho does indeed spend some time with the Fremen on behalf of Duke Leto. But it happens “offscreen,” so to speak. We don’t actually see it in the book, but it looks like we will in the movie.

Relatedly, Villeneuve is making two movies from Dune. I hope they didn’t feel the need to pad them out with new material so they’re long enough. Everyone involved in this project is terrific, so I’ll put my trust in them.

As for Momoa, he’s always a ball of charisma on screen, so I’m looking forward to watching what he brings to the character. Although apparently he was a little intimidated by the scale of the whole thing. “I’m not usually hired to be the guy who does all the exposition and sci-fi jargon,” he said. “I got Javier and Brolin and Oscar and Timothée…I was super nervous, man.”

Assuming the release date doesn’t get pushed back on account of the virus, Dune 2020 will be out on December 18!

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h/t ComicBook.com