Christopher Walken has been officially cast as the Emperor in Dune: Part Two. Dune, which adapted the first half of the classic Frank Herbert sci-fi novel of the same name, came out in theaters and simultaneously on HBO Max in October 2021 and was successful enough on both platforms to be greenlit for a follow-up. It also doubled down on its success with a golden run at the 2022 Academy Awards, sweeping the technical categories to take home six trophies total. Dune 2 is set to begin production this fall with an eye toward release on October 20, 2023.

The Emperor played an unseen but massively important role in the first Dune film. He was the person who decreed that Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) be sent to rule over Arrakis, knowing that it would cause a rift between House Atreides and House Harkonnen, which is run by the venal Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). Now that the rift has caused an all-out siege of the Atreides holdings on Arrakis, the second film will follow Leto's son Paul (Timothée Chalamet) as he ingratiates himself with the local Fremen community and fights back against the planet's invaders.

Related: The Best Part Of Dune's Chosen One Story Is What Star Wars Ignored

Per Deadline, Walken has been cast as the Emperor, whose full title is  Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV of House Corrino. The role was previously played in David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of Dune by José Ferrer, who has previously collaborated with Walken in 1977's The Sentinel. Walken is joining a star-studded cast that also includes Black Widow's Florence Pugh and Elvis' Austin Butler.

Johnny with a popped collar in The Dead Zone

Walken is an iconic actor who is best known for his roles in films including 1983's The Dead Zone, 1990's The King of New York, and 1994's Pulp Fiction. He has also been nominated twice, winning for his supporting role in the 1978 Best Picture winner The Deer Hunter. Although the actor, who is frequent fodder for celebrity impressions because of his iconic voice and speaking cadence, has been well-known for decades, he has also scored some recent hits in Amazon Studios' thriller The Outlaws and Apple TV+'s sci-fi series Severance, in which he stars opposite Adam Scott.

The Emperor will be an essential character in the events of Dune: Part Two, so it is important that such a distinguished actor was able to take the role. If the film faithfully adapts the novel, the Emperor will come to Arrakis with Harkonnen and begin to wreak havoc among the Fremen and their new ally. He will need to match and exceed the menace already established by Stellan Skarsgård, something that Walken has certainly already proven he has the ability to do with aplomb.

Next: Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2 Has Already Avoided 2 Common Sequel Mistakes

Source: Deadline

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