Director Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two adds iconic actor Christopher Walken to its cast.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Walken will play Emperor Shaddam IV, known in the novels as the last Padishah Emperor of the Corrino Empire. He joins fellow franchise newcomers Florence Pugh and Austin Butler, who play Princess Irulan, the daughter of the emperor; and Feyd-Rautha, of House Harkonnen, respectively.
While details on the upcoming project are scarce, director and co-writer Villeneuve previously teased its immense complexity. "It’s gonna be intense... I’m in prep right now. Monday morning, as soon as we leave Los Angeles, it will be to start to go on with prep. I cannot say nothing about the movie – I don’t like to talk about projects as I am doing them – but it’s probably going to be the biggest challenge of my career, again, because it’s even more complex than part one."
Dune: Part Two is set to adapt the second half of author Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel. It will begin immediately after the events of Part I, which released in 2021. Actors Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya returning for their respective roles. In fact, it was previously confirmed that Zendaya will have a much larger role in the sequel.
Villeneuve hinted that Part Two may not be the conclusion of the franchise, depending on how successful it is. He stated in the past, "If things go well with Part Two, I could foresee the idea of maybe doing a third movie [based on] Dune Messiah. That would make sense to me." He added, "After that... I think that I will make some other movies; let’s call them big movies regarding their ambition and scope. And later on, when I’m too tired to do that, I will go back to some smaller projects [Laughs]."
It's uncertain when the film will hit theaters. It was previously believed Dune: Part Two would premiere in late 2022, but the director previously cast doubt on that timeframe. Back in August 2021, he said, "We still have a lot of work to do. It'd probably be more towards fall [2022], and even that would be fast."
Dune: Part Two releases in theaters on Oct. 20, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter