DUNE Adds ANT-MAN AND THE WASP Actor David Dastmalchian As The Villainous Piter De Vries
The Denis Villeneuve-directed Dune has rounded out most of its main players, but there are a few supporting characters yet to be cast. Now, we've learned that David Dastmalchian has joined the production.
Most of the main characters in Denis Villeneuve's upcoming Dune reboot have been cast at this stage (still no word on Feyd), but it's now been announced that David Dastmalchian has joined the production as a key supporting player.
According to Deadline, the Ant-Man and The Wasp actor will play villainous "twisted Mentat" Piter De Vries. In Frank Herbert's novel, the Mentats are basically human computers, and De Vries is a particularly clever and cunning example. Piter is the sadistic servant of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and is generally regarded as architect of the plan to destroy House Atreides.
Dastmalchian joins a pretty damn incredible ensemble cast that includes: Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Zendaya as Chani, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Stellan Skarsgard as Baron Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as "The Beast" Rabban and Charlotte Rampling as the Reverend Mother.
For those unfamiliar with the source material, Dune follows the Atreides family as they relocate to the desolate planet of Arrakis to assume control of the production of the most valuable resource in the galaxy, the Spice Melange. Unfortunately, an act of treachery soon makes an outcast of The Duke Atreides' youngest son Paul, and he must accept his destiny as a powerful prophet of the Arrakis natives known as The Fremen.
There have been several different adaptions of Dune over the years, and this latest take will be produced by Thomas Tull, Mary Parent, and Cale Boyter, with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, and Kim Herbert serving as executive producers.