Even before Feyd-Rautha's debut in Dune: Part 2, Denis Villeneuve already smartly changed his book role to make Dune. When it came to adapting Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi novel, one of the critical decisions Villeneuve made was splitting the source material into two movies. There was no guarantee that Dune 2 would be made by Warner Bros., but the director still thought it would be best for the story - and Dune's franchise potential - to give the story more time to breathe. The end result proved Villeneuve was right, as 2021's Dune was a huge hit that revolved around the beginning of Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) journey.
Early on in Dune's marketing, it became clear that the accuracy of the source material was a big part of Villeneuve's vision. Changes were made to bring the sci-fi movie to life, but the most significant moments and characters (and the giant sandworms) were included. Dune's sprawling cast mainly focused on House Atreides and House Harkonnen, with Paul, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), and Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) playing central roles in the narrative. Villeneuve even included characters like Chani (Zendaya) and Glossu Raban (Dave Bautista) for minor roles that set them up to be big characters in Dune 2.
It might now be known that Austin Butler will play Feyd-Rautha in Dune 2, but Villeneuve already made a small but important change to his book role when making Dune. The first movie covered roughly the first half of Frank Herbert's book, and Feyd-Rautha had a small role to play in the story. However, Villeneuve smartly changed this by cutting the Harkonnen prince from Dune. He would have been a very small part of the first movie in an intensely faithful adaptation, but it was better for Dune and Feyd-Rautha to delay his debut until Dune 2.
Why Feyd-Rautha Is Better For Dune 2
Feyd-Rautha is a much better fit for Dune 2 thanks to an increased focus on House Harkonnen. Villeneuve previously confirmed that Baron Harkonnen and the rest of his House would have a much bigger role in Dune 2. That is where Feyd-Rautha can enter the narrative. Now that House Harkonnen has retaken control of Arrakis as shown in Dune's ending, Feyd-Rautha should be installed as the ruler of the spice planet if Villeneuve follows the source material. This will also be tied to House Harkonnen's attempts to secure an alliance with Emperor Shaddam IV and to arrange a marriage between Feyd-Rautha and Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh).
Introducing Feyd-Rautha in Dune 2 instead of the first movie will also give the sequel proper time to establish him as Paul's rival. They are both tied to the Bene Gesserit and are viewed as having the potential to become their prophesied Kwisatz Haderach. Since Paul's story in Dune 2 will be heavily tied to the Fremen and figuring out his place in the grand scheme of the galaxy, Feyd-Rautha's arrival will complicate matters in various ways. So even though some may be disappointed by not seeing the character in Dune, the change to Feyd-Rautha's book role should be an improvement for Dune: Part 2.
