Actor Jason Momoa is set to play Duncan Idaho in Denis Villeneuve's upcoming adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune. In the book and film, Idaho uses his formidable fighting skills to protect the Atreides family. Idaho is so powerful, in fact, Momoa thinks that he could beat Khal Drogo, who the actor played on HBO's Game of Thrones.
During the debut event for the Dune trailer, host Stephen Colbert asked Momoa who would win in a fight between Idaho and Drogo. "Duncan Idaho," Momoa replied, having earlier called his character the "greatest fighter in the [...] galaxy." Colbert then asked Momoa why, and the actor responded, "Those little swords he's got."
You can read Warner Bros. plot synopsis for the film below:
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Frank Herbert's Dune released in 1965 and won both a Huge Award and Nebula Award following its debut. As a result of the book's success, Herbert released Dune Messiah in 1969, Children of Dune in 1976, God Emperor of Dune in 1981, Heretics of Dune in 1984 and Chapterhouse: Dune in 1985. Since Herbert's death in 1986, his son Brian Herbert and writer Kevin J. Anderson have penned several books and series set in the Dune universe.
Villeneuve's Dune -- which will split the book into two movies -- is the latest attempt to adapt the beloved series. In 1984, David Lynch helmed a Dune film starring Kyle MacLachlan. In addition to flopping at the box office, the movie was reviewed negatively by critics. Since the original film's release, there have since been two TV miniseries based on the franchise: 2000's Frank Herbert's Dune and 2003's Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve from a script he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, Legendary Pictures' Dune stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Chang Chen as Dr. Wellington Yueh, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet Kynes, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, Dave Bautista Glossu Rabban, David Dastmalchian as Piter De Vries, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Stephen Henderson as Thufir Hawat, and Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck. The film arrives in theaters Dec. 18.