'Dune: Part Two' Adds Beloved Star to the Cast

Dune: Part Two has added a new cast member, though his role is still unclear. According to The Hollywood Reporter the sci-fi movie has picked up Tim Blake Nelson for the second half of this adaptation. From the sound of it, Nelson's role is one of the secrets that filmmaker Denis Villeneuve intends to guard for as long as possible.

Dune: Part Two will tell the second half of Frank Herbert's seminal 1965 novel Dune, picking up where the 2021 movie left off. Many of the main cast members will be the same including Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as his mother Lady Jessica, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar. Many returning cast members will have much bigger roles this time around, including Bardem and Zendaya as Chani. Meanwhile, the cast has been swelling since production began, and in many cases, we know who some of the top-billed actors will play.

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So far, we know that Christopher Walken and Florence Pugh are joining the cast as Emperor Shaddam IV and his daughter Princess Irulan, respectively. We also know that Austin Butler has been cast as Feyd-Rautha, the heir apparent to House Harkonnen. Other new cast members include Léa Seydoux as the Bene Gesserit Lady Margot and Souheila Yacoub as the Fremen warrior Shishakli.

Nelson is the only confirmed cast member whose role has not been disclosed yet, leaving fans plenty of room to speculate. One popular theory is that he will play Count Hasimir Fenring, husband to Lady Margot and an important character in the first Dune novel as well as several of the prequels written later by Herbert's son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. This could serve as connective tissue in some way as Warner Bros. explores ways to turn Dune into a massive adaptational franchise.

Nelson is best known for his movie roles like O Brother Where Art Thou, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and, most recently, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. He has also appeared in TV shows like Watchmen, and interestingly he has worked as a writer for years, recently celebrating the publication of his first novel, City of Blows. This might give Nelson a unique connection to the literary fandom that obsesses over The Dune Saga.

Dune was one of the biggest hits of 2021 and Part Two is one of the most anticipated movies of 2023. Villeneuve has hinted at plans to adapt at least one more novel in Herbert's original series – Dune Messiah. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. is still moving forward with its spinoff series The Sisterhood, which is expected to air on HBO Max. For now, fans can look forward to Dune: Part Two on Nov. 3, 2023, in theaters.

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