In a surprise turn, a major Dune character is set to return in Dune: Part Three, even though they do not feature at all in the second novel, Dune Messiah.
Dune was a huge risk for Warner Bros, but it paid off big time. Denis Villeneuve tackled the challenge of adapting George Herbert’s science fiction masterpiece, which had previously been done as a 1984 film by David Lynch and a 2000 SyFy Channel mini-series.
Splitting the epic novel into two movies worked out well and was backed by a sensational cast led by Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the young scion of a noble house who rises to become ruler of the entire universe. The second film ended with Paul taking over the universal empire by marrying the daughter of the previous emperor, Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), which upset his true love, Chani (Zendaya), who broke off on her own.
The monster success of both films at the box office made a third a natural, and luckily, there’s plenty of books to draw from. The third movie will adapt Herbert's novel Dune: Messiah, but with a few surprises of its own.
How is Rebecca Ferguson back on Dune: Part Three?
If it follows the source material, Dune: Part Three will take place 12 years after the events of the last film and follow Paul’s rule, which, without getting into spoilers, goes poorly. It was assumed that Rebecca Ferguson would not have a role, given that Jessica doesn’t appear in Dune: Messiah, having returned to the Atreides homeworld of Caladan. She does return in the third book, Children of Dune.
However, speaking to GamesRadar+ at a press event for her new thriller A House of Dynamite, Rebecca Ferguson confirmed that she will appear in Dune Part 3.
"Yeah! I am in it," she said. "Small. Dip in and out, because I'm not in the books. So I wasn't reckoning on it. Denis [Villeneuve] called me and was like, 'Why do I have a feeling you think you're not in the film?' And I was like, 'Because I'm not in the books?' And he was like, 'No, mate, I have a couple of scenes…'"
It sounds like the role is only a small cameo, perhaps integrating aspects of Children of Dune. This can be connected to Paul’s now-grown sister Alia, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. It may be a brief scene of Jessica reacting to Paul’s actions and trying to give some advice. Obviously, Ferguson isn’t sharing more but is excited to return.
"Very rarely do I get any more FOMO," she said. "I quite often am relieved to not be involved in things. I'm the one who comes in and leaves fast. But I think [Dune] is the one… I walked onto set, and I saw [cinematographer] Linus Sandgren and Denis, and Timothée was there. And it just rings close. I knew I was going to leave the next day, so there was a sadness to it. But I also know that the film is epic."
Including Lady Jessica could be a smart move to link the films together more, making it easier for non-book fans to enjoy. Ferguson was a delight in the role, showing Jessica's evolution to a stunningly powerful figure in her own right who was not above manipulating her son for her own means.
While her role in Dune: Part Three may not be large, Ferguson’s presence adds to the anticipation for the next chapter in this epic saga.
Dune: Part One and Two are streaming on HBO Max.