Dune 2 actor Austin Butler is on something of a roll. Butler began his career on television with appearances in Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows before moving to The CW shows like Life Unexpected and Switched at Birth. After getting noticed starring in The Carrie Diaries and The Shannara Chronicles, he made his Broadway debut in the 2018 revival of The Iceman Cometh before playing Tex Watson in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
This led him to his career making turn in the lead role in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis earlier this year. His next project is Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming sci-fi epic sequel Dune: Part Two.
Butler takes on the crucial role of Feyd-Rautha, the younger nephew and heir of the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. A potential nemesis for Paul Atreides with a reputation for being a warrior. The character was memorably played by music star Sting in the 1984 David Lynch version.
In an interview with Variety, Butler spoke about joining the project:
“Well, I just love the first film so much. It was just a cinematic masterpiece. So the idea of getting to be a part of the 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 a, you know like in your favorite film, it’s like walking onto the set of any film that you admire as a kid. Like walking on to Indiana Jones or something like that … Movies that really impact you as a kid, that’s how I felt.”
Butler has had intensive knife-fighting training for the role. Austin was said to have beaten out Eternals and The Batman star Barry Keoghan for the role.
The first movie was hailed by organizations such as the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named Dune as one of the top 10 films of 2021. Among its numerous awards and nominations, it received 10 nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, and won the most awards of the ceremony with six: Best Sound, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography.
Dune 2 will be in theatres on November 17, 2023.
