Robert Pattinson in Talks to Star in ‘Dune: Messiah’

How about Robert Pattinson? Dude’s been collecting great directors like Infinity Stones. He’s so far worked with Nolan (2X), Bong, Cronenberg (2X), Eggers, Safdie, Ramsay, Gray, Denis and now Denis Villeneuve.

Villeneuve is inching closer to “Dune: Messiah” which is set to shoot this summer. It’s a much-anticipated sequel, and Deadline is now hearing that Pattinson might be joining the ensemble cast.

The film was already set to star Timothee Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Anya Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem, and Jason Momoa. With that said, there are a “handful of new roles” that need to be cast, and Pattinson is being eyed to nab one of them.

UPDATE: Pattinson will apparently be playing the villain Scytale (via THR). The role is expected to be a “significant” one.

In “Dune Messiah,” Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) rules as Emperor but is trapped by the religious fervor surrounding him and the jihad waged in his name. A secret conspiracy, involving the Bene Gesserit, Tleilaxu, and Spacing Guild, seeks to overthrow him by introducing a ghola of his old friend Duncan Idaho.

The first two ‘Dune’ movies were technically a “hero’s journey,” but Frank Herbert’s ‘Messiah’ makes it clear that it’s actually a villain’s origin story. In ‘Messiah,’ set 12 years later, Herbert tears down everything he built in the first novel, and where Paul Atreides finally ends up is a place soaked in darkness. It will be very hard to translate it into a tentpole blockbuster, but Villeneuve is willing to take the risk.

Greig Fraser, who lensed the first two ‘Dune’ movies, will be replaced by Linus Sandgren (“La La Land”). Hans Zimmer is expected to score the film. Although still unconfirmed, Warner Bros has reserved a December 2026 slot on the release calendar for “Dune: Messiah”