Recent reports indicated that Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part 2 was set to begin shooting this summer, and Warner Bros. (via SFF Gazette) has now announced that production will kick-off in Budapest on July 18!
The studio has also confirmed that both Florence Pugh and Austin Butler have officially joined the cast. The Black Widow star is set to play Princess Irulan, while the up-and-coming Elvis actor will take on the role of the villainous Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.
The press release included a brief synopsis, although it doesn't really tell us anything we couldn't have gleaned from the conclusion of the first film. “Part Two will focus on Paul assembling a massive army of Fremen to combat the ruthless Harkonnen, as he essentially becomes a mythical messiah figure to the inhabitants of Arrakis.”
In Frank Herbert's novel, Feyd is the nephew of Baron Harkonnen, and every bit as sadistic and cunning as his vile uncle. Sting famously portrayed the character in David Lynch's '80s adaptation. Irulan does not have a prominent part to play in the first book, but we assume her role will be expanded for Villeneuve's sequel.
Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista and the rest of the principal cast expected to return. Dune: Part 2 is set to hit theaters on Oct. 20, 2023
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.