Austin Butler, due for a breakout with this summer’s Baz Luhrmann Elvis biopic, may be taking a trip to the desert for Dune: Part 2. The actor is in negotiations to star in the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film.
The project, which hopes to shoot this summer in international locales, is in the midst of casting three significant roles, with Florence Pugh also in talks for a part. The call sheet will include returning stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin, among others.
The first Dune adapted just one half of Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 novel, with Part 2 tackling the rest of the story. It will pick up with Paul Atreides (Chalamet) fighting alongside the Fremen to free the desert planet of Arrakis from the grips of House Harkonnen.
If a deal makes, Butler will play Feyd-Rautha, the cunning nephew of the baron, the villain played by Stellan Skarsgard who heads House Harkonnen.
The other two parts include Emperor Shaddam IV, the ruler who sent the Atreides family to Arrakis in the first Dune, and Princess Irulan, the emperor’s daughter.
Dune opened day-and-date in U.S. in theaters and on HBO Max in October and grossed more than $400 million worldwide. Warner Bros. has dated Dune: Part 2 for Oct. 20, 2023.
Butler had a noteworthy role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as a member of the Manson family who meets his demise thanks to Brad Pitt. He also starred in The Shannara Chronicles, the MTV fantasy series. Butler is repped by WME, Anonymous Content and Sloane, Offer.
Source: Hollywood
