Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ subsequent Dune film is taking form. Director Denis Villeneuve is returning for Dune 3, together with core solid members like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Anya Taylor-Joy. And now we all know one main new actor who could also be becoming a member of the solid for Part 3. Deadline studies that Robert Pattinson is being considered for a major role in Dune 3. Apparently The Batman isn’t the one tentpole Warner Bros. franchise Pattinson could possibly be concerned with within the years forward.
At this early stage, we don’t know for positive which character Pattinson would play, although THR suggests he’ll be playing a villain. But we definitely have some concepts based mostly on the place Dune: Part Two leaves off and what we all know from writer Frank Herbert’s Dune novels. Let’s break down the Dune characters Pattinson is most definitely to play within the subsequent film.
Scytale
Assuming the Dune 3 film sticks extra to adapting the contents of the primary sequel guide, Dune Messiah, and leaves the guide after that, Children of Dune (and the remainder of the collection), for future films to deal with, there aren’t many new characters we may actually see Pattinson taking part in. If he’s going to play any Dune Messiah character aside from Leto II, we’d put our cash on Scytale. And because it occurs, that’s the character THR suggests Pattinson will likely be taking part in.
Scytale is principally the primary villain of Messiah. He’s one of many ringleaders of a plot to overthrow Emperor Paul Atreides, who now guidelines over the galaxy with an enormous military of fanatical Fremen worshipers. If the primary two Dune films confirmed us how Paul evolves from pampered son of a Duke to battle-hardened Fremen messiah, the third film will possible make clear the challenges he faces as emperor. As ever, heavy is the top that wears the crown.
The downside with plotting towards a man like Paul is that he has a superhuman potential to see the longer term. Scytale and his co-conspirators (together with Charlotte Rampling’s Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohaim) solely handle it by working alongside a Guild Navigator named Edric. Because the Guild Navigators devour huge quantities of spice to hold out their capabilities, they distort time and house and render themselves invisible to Paul’s prescient visions. More or much less.
Scytale is a captivating character, and a job we may actually see Pattinson sinking his enamel into. He’s a shapeshifter often called a Face Dancer (one other of which was glimpsed within the Dune: Prophecy prequel collection), in addition to a member of the technological wizards often called the Bene Tleilax. Pattinson has so usually gravitated towards heroic roles in his franchise movies, so Scytale is an opportunity for him to play the dangerous man as an alternative.
Plus, taking part in Scytale leaves ample room for Pattinson to return to the Dune franchise in future sequels. We gained’t spoil the place Scytale winds up by the top of Dune Messiah, however suffice it to say, neither time nor loss of life are a lot of a barrier to characters returning on this collection.
Most possible, that is the character Pattinson will play in Dune 3. But are there different potentialities? Let’s take a look at another Dune villain roles that could possibly be excellent for his abilities.
Leto Atreides II
Given that Pattinson is a serious actor who bears greater than a slight resemblance to Chalamet, we are able to’t assist however instantly gravitate to a different member of the Atreides household, and some of the necessary characters within the Dune saga total. Could Pattinson be taking part in Paul’s son, Leto Atreides II?
It’s necessary to level out that there are literally two Leto IIs within the Dune saga, each named in honor of Paul’s dearly departed father (performed by Oscar Isaac within the first film). Paul’s firstborn son, Leto Atreides II the Elder, performs a minor function within the authentic Dune novel, the place he’s killed in a Sardaukar assault whereas Paul plots his revenge towards the Harkonnens. That Leto II is much less a totally realized character than he’s a tragic supply of motivation for Paul within the guide’s climax. The Dune: Part Two film skips that exact plot level completely.
The youthful Leto Atreides II is launched within the second novel, Dune Messiah. He’s solely an toddler in that story, however as he ages, he goes on to change into the central protagonist of the third guide, Children of Dune, and the villain/prime plot catalyst of the fourth guide, God Emperor of Dune. That trippy half-human/half-worm character on the duvet of God Emperor of Dune? That’s Leto II. Leto II was additionally portrayed by a younger James McAvoy within the 2003 Children of Dune miniseries.
The third Dune film is shaping as much as be an adaptation of Dune Messiah, so on the floor it might sound unusual to solid Pattinson as an toddler character. But as we noticed in Dune: Part Two, the flicks are embellishing the supply materials a bit by giving Paul spice-induced visions of his future members of the family. Anya Taylor-Joy seems in that sequel as Paul’s unborn sister Alia, so what’s to cease Pattinson from taking part in Leto II in spice imaginative and prescient type?
That’s to say nothing of the truth that the flicks look to be diverging a bit from the supply materials as time goes on. As we’ve explored earlier than, Dune: Part Two leaves Zendaya’s Chani in a really totally different place in comparison with the guide. And there’s no telling whether or not Villeneuve’s subsequent film would possibly borrow a web page from the Children of Dune miniseries and mix the plot of Messiah and Children of Dune into one story.
However Dune 3 justifies the thought of Pattinson taking part in Leto II – if that’s the place issues wind up – what issues most is that this casting would depart room for Pattinson to proceed taking part in a serious function within the franchise going ahead. Again, the youthful Leto II is likely one of the most necessary characters on this sprawling sci-fi universe. And we actually aren’t going to be glad till we see Pattinson taking part in Leto as a pompous, pontificating worm god.
Prince Farad’n Corrino
There’s one other risk if Dune 3 does certainly mix parts of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Could Pattinson be taking part in Prince Farad’n?
Farad’n is likely one of the villains of Children of Dune. As the grandson of the now-deposed Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (performed by Christopher Walken in Dune: Part Two), Farad’n represents his household’s final, finest hope of reclaiming their misplaced throne. Farad’n is raised on the hellish world of Salusa Secundus and educated within the methods of the Sardaukar, that means all he is aware of is rain, fight, and peculiar chanting.
Farad’n is a very compelling character as a result of he doesn’t truly covet Paul’s throne all that a lot. That’s extra his mom Wensicia’s obsession. He’s a man who can be a lot happier being left alone to learn and write. If the thought is to solid Pattinson as a extra sympathetic villain on this darkish and sinister galaxy, Farad’n may match the invoice.
A New Fremen Character
Again, Dune: Part Two makes some important modifications to the supply materials, and nowhere is that extra obvious than with Chani herself. Where Chani ends the primary Dune novel as a prepared participant in Paul’s grand cosmic plans, within the film she rejects his holy warfare and returns to the sands of Arrakis, embittered and disillusioned by the Fremen messiah she liked.
That unfastened thread alone guarantees that Dune 3 isn’t going to be a 1:1 adaptation of Dune Messiah. Knowing that, we are able to’t assist however marvel what number of different sweeping modifications will likely be launched within the subsequent film. What new characters will Villeneuve concoct? Will there be new villains not seen within the basic Dune novels? Will Pattinson play a type of villains?
It’s definitely potential. We may simply see Pattinson taking part in a model new character who serves in Chani’s anti-Paul faction of Fremen. She represents these new-school Fremen who aren’t so taken with Paul and his guarantees of a cosmic massacre. Could Pattinson play a Fremen who rises as much as oppose Paul and combat in Chani’s title? Could he be primarily the brand new, much less creepy model of Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen?
In that sense, he’d solely be a villain from Paul’s perspective. Herbert was all the time very clear that the Dune novels are cautionary tales in regards to the hazard of charismatic leaders. It would make sense to solid Pattinson as a personality who fights towards Paul and argues that, hey, perhaps slaughtering billions of individuals to cement one’s declare to the throne is a foul factor.
Maybe Dune 3 may even work up a love triangle involving Paul, Chani, and Pattinson’s character. For all her loathing of what Paul has change into, now we have to imagine Chani nonetheless harbors emotions for him. Somehow, the subsequent film goes to have to rearrange issues in order that Chani can change into pregnant and provides delivery to Leto II and his twin sister Ghanima. Maybe she’ll should make the final word selection between Timothée Chalamet and Robert Pattinson. We don’t envy her there.
Which Dune character do you suppose Pattinson is taking part in? Cast your vote in our ballot and tell us your ideas within the feedback under:
For extra on the way forward for the Dune franchise, discover out what spoiler-y revelation Jason Momoa made in regards to the subsequent film.
Jesse is a mild-mannered employees author for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your mental thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
