Robert Pattinson could be set to play someone rather nefarious in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Messiah, reports suggest.
Although Dune: Messiah will require a number of famous faces to reprise their roles, Denis Villeneuve’s third sci-fi fantasy epic will also require one or two new stars. According to reports, one of them could be recovering vampire Robert Pattinson.
It’s early days for the deal, by the sounds of things, but if it happens, Pattinson could eventually take on the role of the villainous Scytale – a character who will cause a number of complications for Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. It’s thought that Zendaya, Josh Brolin and Florence Pugh are among the other actors from 2024’s Dune: Part Two who will reprise their roles.
Word of Pattinson’s potential involvement comes via The Hollywood Reporter, though Deadline is another major outlet whose spies suggest the Twilight and The Batman star is a potential suitor. The word is that a formal offer hasn’t been sent out to the actor yet, but in classic Hollywood trade paper parlance, he’s “circling” the role like a gull above a landfill. Or maybe an ornithopter or something like that.
It’s also recently been reported that The Batman Part II – in which Pattinson is set to reprise the title role – has been delayed, with the shoot now set to begin in 2026. That could potentially leave a gap in Pattinson’s schedule for a spot in Dune: Messiah, though again, nothing’s been confirmed on this score.
Read more: Dune: Part Two review | Bleak, beautiful blockbuster filmmaking
Villeneuve is currently putting the finishing touches to Messiah’s script – adapted from Frank Herbert’s novel – ahead of its reported production date this summer. Legendary and Warner Bros appear to have the trilogy-closer lined up for release in December 2026.
First published in 1969, Dune Messiah (the book doesn’t have a colon) is a much murkier and more twisted novel than its predecessor, Dune (1965) which Villeneuve adapted as a two-part movie. Detailing Paul Atreides’ descent into tyranny, Messiah is generally considered to be so bizarre that it’s a wonder how Villeneuve – who’s tended to favour the more concrete aspects of Herbert’s storytelling over its trippier elements – will handle it all.
As his underrated 2013 psychological drama Enemy proved, the Canadian filmmaker isn’t averse to a bit of surrealism, so there’s the potential he’ll just throw caution to the wind and lean into all the fantastical weirdness.
More on Messiah matters as we get it.
