The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Academy Award-nominee Florence Pugh (Black Widow; Hawkeye) has entered advanced negotiations to join the cast of Warner Bros. and Legendary's hotly-awaited Dune: Part Two.
While a deal is still being worked out, she is reportedly being courted to play Princess Irulan Corrino, the eldest daughter to Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. However, her involvement will be highly dependent on the screenplay's next draft and on whether she lands the lead role in the upcoming Madonna biopic, which she's a finalist for.
Production on Dune: Part Two is tentatively scheduled to begin this summer, with Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Josh Brolin all returning to reprise their roles from the first blockbuster installment.
In addition to Princess Irulan, the studios are also actively casting two other major parts: Emperor Shaddam IV, the ruler who sent the Atreides family to Arrakis, and Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen's cunning nephew.
Pugh is one of Hollywood's hottest rising stars, having followed up her 2019 Oscar nomination for Little Woman with a turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Black Widow and Hawkeye. For 2022, she has Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling, Sebastián Lelio's The Wonder, and Zach Braff's A Good Person in the pipeline. She's currently filming Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which is due out in theaters next summer.
Dune: Part Two is scheduled to arrive exclusively in theaters on October 20, 2023.