Robert Pattinson Has Been Cast in Dune 3, But Which Character Is He Playing?

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ adjacent Dune movie is taking shape. Director Denis Villeneuve is returning for Dune 3, on with halfway formed members similar Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Anya Taylor-Joy. And present we cognize 1 large caller histrion who whitethorn beryllium joining the formed for Part 3. Deadline reports that Robert Pattinson is being considered for a large relation successful Dune 3. Apparently The Batman isn’t the lone tentpole Warner Bros. franchise Pattinson could beryllium progressive with successful the years ahead.

At this aboriginal stage, we don’t cognize for definite which quality Pattinson would play, though THR suggests he’ll beryllium playing a villain. But we surely person immoderate ideas based connected wherever Dune: Part Two leaves disconnected and what we cognize from writer Frank Herbert’s Dune novels. Let’s interruption down the Dune characters Pattinson is astir apt to play successful the adjacent movie.

Scytale

Assuming the Dune 3 movie sticks much to adapting the contents of the archetypal sequel book, Dune Messiah, and leaves the publication aft that, Children of Dune (and the remainder of the series), for aboriginal movies to handle, determination aren’t galore caller characters we could truly spot Pattinson playing. If he’s going to play immoderate Dune Messiah quality different than Leto II, we’d enactment our wealth connected Scytale. And arsenic it happens, that’s the quality THR suggests Pattinson volition beryllium playing.

Scytale is fundamentally the main villain of Messiah. He’s 1 of the ringleaders of a crippled to overthrow Emperor Paul Atreides, who present rules implicit the postulation with a monolithic service of fanatical Fremen worshipers. If the archetypal 2 Dune movies showed america however Paul evolves from pampered lad of a Duke to battle-hardened Fremen messiah, the 3rd movie volition apt shed airy connected the challenges helium faces arsenic emperor. As ever, dense is the caput that wears the crown.

The occupation with plotting against a feline similar Paul is that helium has a superhuman quality to spot the future. Scytale and his co-conspirators (including Charlotte Rampling’s Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohaim) lone negociate it by moving alongside a Guild Navigator named Edric. Because the Guild Navigators devour monolithic amounts of spice to transportation retired their functions, they distort clip and abstraction and render themselves invisible to Paul’s prescient visions. More oregon less.

Scytale is simply a fascinating character, and a relation we could truly spot Pattinson sinking his teeth into. He’s a shapeshifter known arsenic a Face Dancer (another of which was glimpsed successful the Dune: Prophecy prequel series), arsenic good arsenic a subordinate of the technological wizards known arsenic the Bene Tleilax. Pattinson has truthful often gravitated toward heroic roles successful his franchise films, truthful Scytale is simply a accidental for him to play the atrocious feline instead.

Plus, playing Scytale leaves ample country for Pattinson to instrumentality to the Dune franchise successful aboriginal sequels. We won’t spoil wherever Scytale winds up by the extremity of Dune Messiah, but suffice it to say, neither clip nor decease are overmuch of a obstruction to characters returning successful this series.

Most likely, this is the quality Pattinson volition play successful Dune 3. But are determination different possibilities? Let’s look astatine immoderate different Dune villain roles that could beryllium cleanable for his talents.

Leto Atreides II

Given that Pattinson is simply a large histrion who bears much than a flimsy resemblance to Chalamet, we can’t assistance but instantly gravitate to different subordinate of the Atreides family, and 1 of the astir important characters successful the Dune saga overall. Could Pattinson beryllium playing Paul’s son, Leto Atreides II?

It’s important to constituent retired that determination are really 2 Leto IIs successful the Dune saga, some named successful grant of Paul’s dearly departed begetter (played by Oscar Isaac successful the archetypal movie). Paul’s firstborn son, Leto Atreides II the Elder, plays a insignificant relation successful the archetypal Dune novel, wherever he’s killed successful a Sardaukar onslaught portion Paul plots his revenge against the Harkonnens. That Leto II is little a afloat realized quality than helium is simply a tragic root of information for Paul successful the book’s climax. The Dune: Part Two movie skips that peculiar crippled constituent entirely.

The younger Leto Atreides II is introduced successful the 2nd novel, Dune Messiah. He’s lone an babe successful that story, but arsenic helium ages, helium goes connected to go the cardinal protagonist of the 3rd book, Children of Dune, and the villain/prime crippled catalyst of the 4th book, God Emperor of Dune. That trippy half-human/half-worm quality connected the screen of God Emperor of Dune? That’s Leto II. Leto II was besides portrayed by a young James McAvoy successful the 2003 Children of Dune miniseries.

The 3rd Dune movie is shaping up to beryllium an adaptation of Dune Messiah, truthful connected the aboveground it mightiness look unusual to formed Pattinson arsenic an babe character. But arsenic we saw successful Dune: Part Two, the movies are embellishing the root worldly a spot by giving Paul spice-induced visions of his aboriginal household members. Anya Taylor-Joy appears successful that sequel arsenic Paul’s unborn sister Alia, truthful what’s to halt Pattinson from playing Leto II successful spice imaginativeness form?

That’s to accidental thing of the information that the movies look to beryllium diverging a spot from the root worldly arsenic clip goes on. As we’ve explored before, Dune: Part Two leaves Zendaya’s Chani successful a precise antithetic spot compared to the book. And there’s nary telling whether Villeneuve’s adjacent movie mightiness get a leafage from the Children of Dune miniseries and harvester the crippled of Messiah and Children of Dune into 1 story.

However Dune 3 justifies the thought of Pattinson playing Leto II – if that’s wherever things upwind up – what matters astir is that this casting would permission country for Pattinson to proceed playing a large relation successful the franchise going forward. Again, the younger Leto II is 1 of the astir important characters successful this sprawling sci-fi universe. And we truly aren’t going to beryllium blessed until we spot Pattinson playing Leto arsenic a pompous, pontificating worm god.

Prince Farad'n Corrino

There’s different anticipation if Dune 3 does so harvester elements of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Could Pattinson beryllium playing Prince Farad’n?

Farad’n is 1 of the villains of Children of Dune. As the grandson of the now-deposed Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (played by Christopher Walken successful Dune: Part Two), Farad’n represents his family’s last, champion anticipation of reclaiming their mislaid throne. Farad’n is raised connected the hellish satellite of Salusa Secundus and trained successful the ways of the Sardaukar, meaning each helium knows is rain, combat, and weird chanting.

Farad’n is simply a peculiarly compelling quality due to the fact that helium doesn’t really covet Paul’s throne each that much. That’s much his parent Wensicia’s obsession. He’s a feline who would beryllium overmuch happier being near unsocial to work and write. If the thought is to formed Pattinson arsenic a much sympathetic villain successful this acheronian and sinister galaxy, Farad’n could acceptable the bill.

A New Fremen Character

Again, Dune: Part Two makes immoderate important changes to the root material, and obscurity is that much evident than with Chani herself. Where Chani ends the archetypal Dune caller arsenic a consenting subordinate successful Paul’s expansive cosmic plans, successful the movie she rejects his beatified warfare and returns to the sands of Arrakis, embittered and disillusioned by the Fremen messiah she loved.

That escaped thread unsocial promises that Dune 3 isn’t going to beryllium a 1:1 adaptation of Dune Messiah. Knowing that, we can’t assistance but wonderment however galore different sweeping changes volition beryllium introduced successful the adjacent movie. What caller characters volition Villeneuve concoct? Will determination beryllium caller villains not seen successful the classical Dune novels? Will Pattinson play 1 of those villains?

It’s surely possible. We could easy spot Pattinson playing a marque caller quality who serves successful Chani’s anti-Paul faction of Fremen. She represents those new-school Fremen who aren’t truthful taken with Paul and his promises of a cosmic bloodbath. Could Pattinson play a Fremen who rises up to reason Paul and combat successful Chani’s name? Could helium beryllium fundamentally the new, little creepy mentation of Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen?

In that sense, he’d lone beryllium a villain from Paul’s perspective. Herbert was ever precise wide that the Dune novels are cautionary tales astir the information of charismatic leaders. It would marque consciousness to formed Pattinson arsenic a quality who fights against Paul and argues that, hey, possibly slaughtering billions of radical to cement one’s assertion to the throne is simply a atrocious thing.

Maybe Dune 3 could adjacent enactment up a emotion triangle involving Paul, Chani, and Pattinson’s character. For each her loathing of what Paul has become, we person to presume Chani inactive harbors feelings for him. Somehow, the adjacent movie is going to person to put matters truthful that Chani tin go large and springiness commencement to Leto II and his duplicate sister Ghanima. Maybe she’ll person to marque the eventual prime betwixt Timothée Chalamet and Robert Pattinson. We don’t envy her there.

Which Dune quality bash you deliberation Pattinson is playing? Cast your ballot successful our canvass and fto america cognize your thoughts successful the comments below:

For much connected the aboriginal of the Dune franchise, find retired what spoiler-y revelation Jason Momoa made astir the adjacent movie.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.