Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune will have Christopher Walken on board to play Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV of House Corrino. That’s right, soon we’ll hear Christopher Walken say, “I am Emperor Shaddam IV of House Corrino.”
The first part of Villeneuve’s adaptation, appropriately titled Dune: Part One, premiered in October 2021 to great critical and commercial success. The film only covered a part of the book, however, and major characters like the Emperor, Princess Irulan, and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen did not make appearances.
While the Emperor didn’t appear in person in Part One, House Atreides certainly felt his influence as he allowed the Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) to use his elite fighting force, the Sardaukar, to cause the fall of House Atreides on Arrakis.
Thankfully, Legendary and Warner Bros. greenlit Dune: Part Two soon after the first movie’s release, allow us to see the Emperors and other characters once again on screen. Since the announcement of Part Two, we’ve heard rumors that Austin Butler will play Feyd-Rautha and Florence Pugh will play Princess Irulan. Finally, with Walken’s casting, we now can put a face (and a voice) to the last Padishah Emperor as well.
Walken, Butler, and Pugh join the already A-list cast of the film, which includes Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Zendaya as Chani, and Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck.
Dune: Part Two is expected to start shooting this summer and will premiere in theaters on October 20, 2023.
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