Dave Bautista has a very busy 2023 ahead of him, with four movies starring him set to premiere. First up, M. Night Shyamalan‘s latest “Knock At The Cabin,” which hits theaters today. And a little further on the horizon, “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” on May 5, and “Parachute,” set for its world premiere at SXSW 2023 in March. But Bautista also “Dune: Part Two” this year, too, which sees the actor reprise his role as Baron Harkonnen’s hulking, brutish nephew Glossu Rabban.
READ MORE: Austin Butler Says His ‘Dune Part Two’ Villain Thinks He’s “The Hero Of His Own Story”
Rabban is a scary presence in Denis Villeneuve‘s 2021 film (and Frank Herbert‘s original novel), and USA Today reports that Bautista agrees the character is “just a nightmare.” “There’s a lot more layers to Rabban, the actor teased, “and none of them are good.” But Bautista find Austin Butler‘s turn as Rabban’s younger brother Feyd-Rautha even more skin-crawling. On Butler’s performance, Baustista said: “I don’t know who this guy was, but it’s not Austin Butler. It’s not Elvis. His voice is different, his look is different. Everything about his demeanor is terrifying.”
For those unfamiliar with Herbert’s book, David Lynch‘s 1983 adaptation, or the 2000 mini-series, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen is heir to Baron Harkonnen, who the Baron plans to be the successor to the Atreides on Arrakis. Feyd-Rautha serves as a foil to Timothée Chalamet‘s Paul: another cunning and charismatic young man raised to rule the galaxy, but motivated by ruthless self-interest. Without too many spoilers, a single combat standoff between Paul and Feyd-Rautha is the climax to Herbert’s “Dune.” Sting plays the character in Lynch’s film, while Matt Keeslar plays him in the 2000 mini-series.
Based on Bautista’s comments, expect Butler to be a formidable screen presence in “Dune: Part Two.” So maybe Butler shakes off that star turn as Elvis from Baz Luhrmann‘s film from last year, after all. But Bautista also stresses that Butler is “just the sweetest guy you’ll ever meet” in his comments about Villeneueve’s upcoming film. “Dune: Part Two” currently has a November 3 date for theatrical release. Other new cast members beyond Butler in the upcoming film include Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, and Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli. Tim Blake Nelson also appears in an undisclosed role.
With nine months before “Dune: Part Two” hits theaters, expect more news about Butler’s Feyd-Rautha and other characters introduced in the film in the coming weeks.
