Austin Butler may soon be touching down on Arrakis. Deadline reported on Thursday that the Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood actor is in negotiations to join the cast of Dune Part Two as the villainous Feyd Rautha.
The casting update comes just two days after it was announced that Florence Pugh is in talks to board the upcoming sci-fi sequel as Princess Irulan. I regret to inform Denis Villeneuve that should Pugh clinch the role, the film no longer will be Dune Part Two, but instead Little Women Part Two: Laurie and Amy in Space. Rebecca Ferguson, you are now Marmee. Zendaya, you’re obviously Jo. It’s what the people want and deserve.
Anyway. I digress; back to Butler. Feyd Rautha is expected to be a major role in the new installment, which means casting the part is no small task. Feyd is something of a fan-favorite character from Frank Herbert’s novels, a foil to Paul and the heir to Dune antagonist Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (played by Mamma Mia!’s own Stellan Skarsgard in a fatsuit and pounds of prosthetics). He has his evil uncle’s ruthlessness, only in a much younger, hotter, trimmer package. Feyd Rautha was iconically played by The Police frontman Sting in David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Dune, for which he famously wore a winged leather G-string.
Since the sequel was announced, fans have been furiously debating which actors could best tackle the crucial roles of Princess Irulan and Feyd Rautha. Earlier this week, The Batman star Robert Pattinson publicly, unofficially threw his hat in the ring when he said in an interview that he would love to appear in the Dune sequel.
While Butler may not have necessarily been on anyone’s Bingo card, his star is undeniably on the rise. Real ones know him from The Carrie Diaries, the CW’s underrated and oft-forgotten Sex and the City spinoff that aired nearly a decade before the name “Che Diaz” was first uttered. Or perhaps you’re familiar with his work as Vanessa Hudgens’ former boyfriend of nine years. But this summer, he has the potential to become a household name as the star of Baz Luhrmann’s glitzy Elvis biopic. The film’s trailer, released last month, offered a first look at Butler crooning convincingly as the hip-swiveling King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Dune Part Two is expected to begin filming this fall, eyeing a release date of October 20, 2023.
