The casting process for Denis Villeneuve‘s next movie seems to be Dune just fine: Christopher Walken will lord over Part Two as the ruler of the universe himself, the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, The Hollywood Reporter notes.
The Emperor didn’t appear in the 2021 movie Dune, which covered the first half of Frank Herbert’s classic novel. But his actions were felt from the first moments, which picked up with his assigning Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) to the spice-rich desert planet Arrakis. Duke Leto brought his family along, including his son Paul (Timothée Chalamet).
Joining Walken in Part Two will be Florence Pugh, who was already cast as the Emperor’s daughter Princess Irulan, and Austin Butler, who will portray the heir to House Harkonnen. The 79-year-old Walken is a tantalizing choice for the Padishah Emperor; without spoiling anything for those who haven’t read the book, he’s going to be really good in that scene, when all the stuff happens.
Shooting is set to begin this summer. And if all goes well, Villeneuve hopes to begin the third movie in the series soon afterwards. Expectations are high; after all, the first movie took home six Academy Awards. As for Christopher Walken, he’s currently starring in Apple TV+’s provocative workplace comedy, Severance.
