Denis Villeneuve’s Dune was a smash success when it premiered in 2021, and the anticipation is high for the follow-up. While Villeneuve and his team were largely successful in adapting Frank Herbert’s iconic novel for the big screen, the first movie only told half the story. We saw the destruction of House Atreides at the hands of their bitter enemies House Harkonnen. How will Dune: Part Two treat young Paul Atreides as he exacts his revenge?
One new character who will be fighting Paul is Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). Feyd-Rautha was famously played by a scantily-clad Sting in David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Dune, but this time around it will be Austin Butler (Elvis, The Shannara Chronicles).
Austin Butler: It was “incredibly exciting” to work on Dune: Part Two
Butler was on hand at the Academy’s Governors Awards event this past weekend. Variety‘s Marc Malkin tried slipping in some questions about the upcoming science fiction epic. “Do you think I can tell you everything? I can’t tell,” Butler laughed.
Although he did say a little about what it was like to discover that he was cast as the villain Feyd-Rautha. “I just I loved the first film so much. It was this cinematic masterpiece, so the idea of getting to be a part of that world is just incredibly exciting and Denis is one of my favorite filmmakers and just an amazing human being. He’s so kind and I’m a fan of every one of those actors in the film, so I I felt really honored.
"It’s really surreal. You feel sort of like a kid in your favorite film. It’s like walking on to the set of any film that that you admire, like walking onto Indiana Jones or something like that. Like one of those films that really impact you as a kid, that’s how it felt."
Dune: Part Two is currently in production in Budapest, and is slated for release on November 3, 2023.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels