Dune 2 star Austin Butler has officially begun knife training for his role as Feyd-Rautha in the upcoming sci-fi epic. Director Denis Villeneuve will finally be able to see his overall vision of Frank Herbert's Dune all the way through, with the second installment currently underway. The announcement of the sequel came quite quickly after Dune: Part 1 took home an astonishing $400 million at the worldwide box office.
The first part of Villeneuve's Dune introduced and brought to life many of the best-selling novel’s most important characters. Most notably, hero Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), Zendaya's ominous Fremen Chani, and corrupt villain Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) come to mind. A couple of main characters were left out of the first film though, which could hint that they may in fact just be fashionably late, saving up their grand debut for Dune 2. One of the most crucial characters who has yet to make an appearance is Feyd-Rautha, the heartless nephew of Baron Harkonnen.
The role of Feyd-Rautha was played originally by Sting in the iconic 1984 Dune movie. In the film, Feyd-Rautha makes it his ultimate mission to personally kill Paul Atreides, which progresses into a high-stakes knife fight. For Dune: Part 2, Villeneuve has chosen Elvis and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood actor Butler to portray the wicked Feyd-Rautha. Knife fighting proved to play a key role in the overall plot of Dune: Part 1 due to the epic sequences where Paul battles the Fremen Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun) until the latter's fatal death. As reported by the New York Times, Butler's knife fight training is officially underway for his highly anticipated role in Dune: Part 2.
OG fans of the Dune novel already know that Paul will without a doubt have to rely on his knife skills in order to try and defeat Feyd in the second half of the story. Many other actors were seriously considered for the role other than Butler, which begs the question of what exactly it was about the young actor that attracted the attention of Villeneuve? Reportedly, Dunkirk star Harry Styles and Ready Player One star Tye Sheridan were also in discussion for the role as well.
Fans seemed to lobby for Barry Keoghan to take on the highly sought-after role of Feyd-Rautha before Butler sealed the deal. However, the confirmation that Butler's Dune 2 training has commenced also solidifies that the knife fight between Paul and his worst enemy will be featured in Dune: Part 2. Although, this news may not come as a surprise to many fans, given how loyal Villeneuve was to the novel’s story for the adaption of Dune: Part 1. As for Butler, fans will have to keep an open mind and trust Villeneuve's overall process and judgment call.
Dune: Part 2 is scheduled to release in theaters on October 20, 2023.
Source: The New York Times