A very happy International Women’s Day to our favorite little woman of them all: Florence Pugh, who is now in talks to board Dune 2 alongside Little Women hubby Timothée Chalamet. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Pugh has been tapped to potentially star as Princess Irulan, daughter of the Emperor. Now, the big question: How will she balance a voyage to Arrakis with a Madonna Boot Camp at the same time?
The British actress would be the first new star to board the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated sci-fi epic based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel series of the same name. She’d be joining a stacked cast with players like Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem for the Legendary follow-up, along with, of course, her starry-eyed Little Women co-star. Break out the foot molds, Pugh, you’ve got to make him fall in love with you all over again.
Seeing as Dune’s first iteration attached a hearty roster of Hollywood’s best talent, Academy Award-nominated Pugh seems like an ideal fit in the role—and we’ve already seen her witty on-screen chemistry with Chalamet. That’s key for Princess Irulan, who becomes entangled in a love triangle with Paul. (Yes, the Little Women parallels are everywhere.)
For those who haven’t read the thousand-pound books in all their glory: Dune 2 will pick up right where the first film left off, as an exhausted Paul Atreides (Chalamet) joins forces with Zendaya’s Fremen to free the desert planet Arrakis from the swindling House Harkonnen. Princess Irulan is one of three major roles Dune 2 will need to cast, alongside Emperor Shaddam IV (who fatefully sends the Atreides family to Arrakis in the first place) and Feyd-Rautha (the oily baron’s wily nephew and leader of House Harkonnen).
But mega space worms aren’t the roadblocks in the way. For one, that grueling Madonna biopic could impact Pugh’s scheduling ability, should she land the career-changing role. Further, the script is still in progress, and THR reports that the actress is tapping her toes as she waits for the latest draft. Legendary is hoping to shoot Dune 2 this summer—which, yes, will have an impact on Euphoria’s shooting schedule, too. The stars are busy!
