With filming still underway on the sequel, Dune: Part Two's Feyd-Rautha actor Austin Butler is looking back on his surreal first day on set. The next chapter in Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic franchise continues the story of Frank Herbert's source novel, with Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides now out for revenge against the House Harkonnen and those who brought the downfall of his once-royal family. Alongside Chalamet, the cast for Dune: Part Two will see the returns of Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem, as well as featuring the franchise introductions of Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, and Léa Seydoux.
While speaking with Variety at the recent Academy's Governor Awards, Austin Butler shared some insight for production on Dune: Part Two. Though unable to offer much in the way of what to expect from his character, the Feyd-Rautha actor recalled his surreal first day on the set of the sequel, in which he felt like "a kid in your favorite film." See what Butler shared below:
Do you think I can tell you everything? I can’t tell. I loved the first film so much. It was this cinematic masterpiece, so the idea of getting to be a part of that world is just incredibly exciting and Denis is one of my favorite filmmakers and just an amazing human being. He’s so kind, and I’m a fan of every one of those actors in the film, so I felt really honored. It’s really surreal. You feel sort of like a kid in your favorite film. It’s like walking on to the set of any film that you admire, like walking onto ‘Indiana Jones’ or something like that. Like one of those films that really impact you as a kid, that’s how it felt [on my first day].
Feyd-Rautha's Dune History Explained
Feyd-Rautha proved to be one of the more notable characters absent in Villeneuve's first Dune movie, especially given how central he is to Baron Harkonnen's plans to rule over Arrakis by inserting his younger nephew in as the faux ruler of the planet, all the while controlling him from behind-the-scenes. The character previously appeared in David Lynch's cult classic adaptation of Dune portrayed by Grammy winner Sting, with many hailing his performance for helping tap into the surreal nature of Lynch's approach to the material. Given Villeneuve's 2021 hit Dune movie only covered the first half of the novel, it does ultimately make sense why Feyd-Rautha was absent from his events.
What will be interesting to see is how closely to the source portrayal of Feyd-Rautha Butler's performance is come the release of Dune: Part Two. Lynch's film did see him fall to protagonist Paul Atreides, but with it squeezing down over 400 pages of material into a 137-minute movie, much of his characterization did find itself minimized throughout the movie, including his and Paul's ties to being the product of the Bene Gesserit's efforts to find their new messiah, and attempting to kill his uncle whilst overcome by his ambitions. Given Villeneuve has largely proven more faithful in covering the wider facets of Herbert's novel, it seems likely some of these deeper layers will make their way to the screen, especially considering Skarsgård's Baron Harkonnen has been established as a formidable foe for Chalamet's Paul coming into the film.
Everything We Know About Dune: Part Two
Anticipation remains high for Dune: Part Two among fans of the novel following Villeneuve's successful first movie, especially with its ensemble cast already growing further from the original film. In addition to Butler as Feyd-Rautha, the sci-fi epic sequel will see the arrival of Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, previously played by José Ferrer in Lynch's film, as well as Florence Pugh as the Emperor's daughter Princess Irulan and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot in the character's first screen appearance. With four months of filming already underway, about the amount the first took, audiences will have to keep their eyes peeled for first looks at the sequel in the near future leading up to its November 3, 2023 release.
Source: Variety
