Austin Butler had to train with Navy SEALs to prepare for his role in Dune: Part Two. The sequel to Denis Villeneuve's 2021 sci-fi hit will hit theaters in 2023 and will continue the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). In the first Dune, Paul discovers that he will greatly influence the universe's destiny, all while his father (Oscar Isaac) works to protect the most important resource on the planet Arrakis, a hallucinogenic spice that enables both increased mental abilities including interstellar flight. Dune: Part Two will have the opportunity to delve deeper into Paul's character after the death of Leto, as Paul's destiny continues to spark.
With Dune: Part Two on the way, Butler has joined the franchise as the cruel and monstrous Feyd-Rautha, heir to the rival Harkonnen empire. Butler will be a new actor in Dune 2, due to the fact that Feyd-Rautha hardly appeared in the first half of Frank Herbert's novel Dune, leading to the character being left out of the first film. In order to prepare for the role, Butler tells Backstage that he sought out Navy SEALs to help him get his body in shape in time for filming. Check out his quote below:
"For Dune, there were different challenges; there were certain physical things from the first meeting with Denis, [knowing] what his vision was. I worked with this…Navy Seal [guy] who trained me for months beforehand just to get my body into a place where it was available to not only be an imposing physical presence but do whatever was asked of me."
"The interesting thing was doing that in the middle of Elvis press. I was doing that until Cannes, and then I was having to do all the press during the day and then train at night. That was a thing I had to manage during Elvis. [During Elvis], I could completely eliminate everything in the outside world, and now I had to learn how to do that in the midst of balancing other things, but it's still all that all-encompassing energy. I love living in these other worlds… I just let it consume me."
Everything We Know About Dune 2
In addition to Butler as Feyd-Rautha, Dune: Part Two has a stacked cast with exciting new additions. Christopher Walken has joined the franchise as Emperor Shaddam IV of the Corrino Empire, who conspired with House Harkonnen to bring about the end of Leto's line. Florence Pugh will be playing Princess Irulan, the daughter of Emperor Shaddam and an accomplished scholar who contributes to much of the novel's prose. With Chalamet revealing that filming on Dune 2 has already wrapped, it may not be long until audiences get their first glimpse of these new characters.
Heading into Dune: Part Two, the groundwork has already been laid for the story to delve into more action-packed territory. Villeneuve, who previously directed Blade Runner 2049, has already expressed that Dune: Part Two will have the opportunity to delve deeper into the universe at large while also including more stunning action and character work. While many questions remain about what direction the story could unfold after diverging from the source material in some subtle but important ways, Chalamet emphasizes that one major thing will remain the same: as Dune: Part Two changes Paul Atreides, he will grow increasingly confident in himself and his abilities.
Since Dune left off at the meeting with Stilgar's Fremen tribe, Paul will be covering the long-lasting war between the Harkonnen and the Fremen. The Emperor will be forced to step in to stop Paul's ascension, which will only lead to further war as Paul works to fulfill his destiny as the Kwisatz Haderach, a mystical and powerful figure created through a breeding program that has lasted thousands of years. After Dune: Part Two, Paul's story will continue to show the flaws of a powerful and charismatic leader like himself. Because of that, Dune: Part 3 is even more important than Dune: Part Two as it adapts the Dune Messiah novel and shows the flaws of Paul Atreides and his war.
Source: Backstage via Comicbook
