Late last year, Barry Keoghan (Eternals, The Banshees of Inisherin) prompted speculation that he may have been cast in Dune: Part 2 when he sent out a cryptic Tweet immediately following the announcement that Denis Villeneuve's sequel has been officially greenlit.
It wasn't much to go on, and Keoghan downplayed the rumor in subsequent interviews, but the actor has now confirmed that he did indeed audition for the role of the villainous Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.
“I really enjoyed that process [of auditioning]," he told the New York Times. "I’m a big fan of Dune, and it would’ve been nice to be part of it. I’m a big fan of Timothée [Chalamet] as well. But it wasn’t for me. You have to accept that sometimes.”
Elvis star Austin Butler ultimately landed the part.
In Frank Herbert's novel, Feyd is the younger nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and is almost as cruel and cunning as his grotesque uncle. Many fans were surprised that the character didn't appear in Part One, but he will almost certainly play a prominent role as a principal antagonist in the sequel. Sting played Feyd in David Lynch's '80s adaptation.
Butler joins fellow new cast members Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, the legendary Christopher Walken as The Emperor, and Lea Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Dave Bautista will reprise their roles from the first film.
A recently released synopsis reads “Part Two will focus on Paul assembling a massive army of Fremen to combat the ruthless Harkonnen, as he essentially becomes a mythical messiah figure to the inhabitants of Arrakis.”
Dune: Part Two was recently pushed back from October 20, 2023 to November 17, 2023.