Actor Christopher Walken has reportedly been cast to play Emperor Shaddam IV in Dune: Part Two. Citing unnamed sources, Deadline was the first to report.
If true, it means the iconic actor will join Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem–among many others who are returning for the sequel. Other newcomers for the sequel, which is slated to begin filming at the end of this summer, include Florence Pugh and Austin Butler.
Said director Denis Villeneuve about the challenges facing the production in adapting the classic, epic 1965 Frank Herbert novel in the upcoming sequel, “The thing that helps us right now is that it’s the first time I’ve revisited a universe… I’m working with the same crew, everybody knows what to do, we know what it will look like. The movie will be more challenging, but we know where we are stepping. Frankly, the only big unknown for me right now is the pandemic.”
In the sequel, Villeneuve promises much more of House Harkonnen. “I made the decision very early on that the first part would be more about Paul Atreides and the Bene Gesserit… the second part would be much more Harkonnen stuff.”
To date, Dune has made $331 million at the worldwide box office. It is also currently available to stream on HBO Max, something that Villeneuve has been very outspoken against. Dune: Part Two won’t follow this model and will be available exclusively in theaters for 45 days before it hits streaming.
The second part of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic releases in October 2023.
