[Movie] Dune movie confirmed

[Daedius]

Is Christopher Walken going to get eaten by a big snake, er I mean Worm?

[Ihavewaffles]

No idea, only read 1st book, liek decades ago... but I hope he makes a good performance n not a bunch of meme material..

[Frontenac]

And why not Charles Dance?...


‘Dune: Part Two’: Christopher Walken To Play The Emperor In Sequel For Legendary And Warner Bros.

https://deadline.com/2022/05/dune-pa...or-1235021590/
By Justin Kroll Senior Film Reporter - May 12, 2022 10:30am

Denis Villeneuve is adding another high-profile talent to an already-loaded cast as sources tell Deadline Christopher Walken is set to play the Emperor in Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Dune: Part Two. Walken joins the all-star ensemble that includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Josh Brolin, who are expected to reprise their roles, as well Florence Pugh and Austin Butler, who were also recently announced. Villeneuve is back to write, direct and produce.

Legendary had no comment. Production is expected to start in the fall, with the film set to bow on October 20, 2023. Jon Spaihts is returning to co-write script with Villeneuve.

Even with Dune: Part One going day-and-date on HBO Max, the film was still able to thrive in theaters with an opening weekend of $41 million, which exceeded expectations and led to a quick greenlight for a sequel weeks later. The film has grossed $400 million at the worldwide box office to date including $108 million domestically. It also recently racked up 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture.

Walken is coming off two critically-acclaimed roles on TV with Amazon Studios’ The Outlaws and most recently Severance, which was just renewed for a second season. He Is repped by ICM Partners.

That's good news. Walken is a great actor and always that little quirkiness that could be great for a capricious and paranoid ruler as Shaddam Corrino IV.

[Nihilist74]

Christopher Walken is all wrong for the part of the emperor.

[Jastall]

Christopher Walken is all wrong for the part of the emperor.

Why do you believe this? He's a good actor. Sure most of his parts have him be the quirky guy that shows up then is never seen again but he can do far more than that under a good director.

Besides, the character he'll play is basically a grown up Joffrey from GoT. You need both acting chops and quirkiness to sell that IMO.

[s_bushido]

Christopher Walken is all wrong for the part of the emperor.

eh? The emperor hardly has any 'screentime' in the book anyway. Not sure what qualities you think he has that Walken wouldn't be able to portray.

[Biomega]

And why not Charles Dance?...

NGL, when I think of the Emperor, I think of Charles Dance. I could not imagine a better casting.

I get the whole joke with Christopher Walken and Weapon of Choice, which is a cool nod to popular culture. And he probably won't make for a BAD Emperor by any means.

But Charles Dance was born to be that role. Like, not even close.

[Jastall]

NGL, when I think of the Emperor, I think of Charles Dance. I could not imagine a better casting.

I get the whole joke with Christopher Walken and Weapon of Choice, which is a cool nod to popular culture. And he probably won't make for a BAD Emperor by any means.

But Charles Dance was born to be that role. Like, not even close.

I'm not that sure. Dance has gravitas for days, but the Emperor in Dune isn't a Tywin-esque power player, he's mostly a puppet of the Guilds and Bene Gesserit, and a fairly petulant asshole who fails at nearly everything and gets outplayed as his smug confidence fails him.

[Biomega]

I'm not that sure. Dance has gravitas for days, but the Emperor in Dune isn't a Tywin-esque power player, he's mostly a puppet of the Guilds and Bene Gesserit, and a fairly petulant asshole who fails at nearly everything and gets outplayed as his smug confidence fails him.

You think Dance doesn't ooze smug confidence?

And sure the Emperor isn't in charge, but he ACTS like he is - he doesn't show up a lot even in the book, but where he does, he very much acts like he dominates the room.

Christopher Walken has a strangely soft side to him, I always found. I don't think that fits well with the stone-jawed determination of Shaddam IV, someone who knows he has a role to play in the larger tapestry of the Empire, but damn if he isn't going to play it to the max.

[Berndorf]

I'm not that sure. Dance has gravitas for days, but the Emperor in Dune isn't a Tywin-esque power player, he's mostly a puppet of the Guilds and Bene Gesserit, and a fairly petulant asshole who fails at nearly everything and gets outplayed as his smug confidence fails him.

I would say he's somewhere inbetween tbh. He is the one who did the whole power move that creates the events in Dune by using House Harkonnen to get rid of House Atreides. His wealth alone makes him a huge player on top of being the Emperor. Its also noted how he was able to resist the wiles of Bene Gesserit mistresses and they could not control him nearly as easily as they wanted to. His arrogance is his downfall but he's more his own man than a puppet.

- - - Updated - - -

You think Dance doesn't ooze smug confidence?

And sure the Emperor isn't in charge, but he ACTS like he is - he doesn't show up a lot even in the book, but where he does, he very much acts like he dominates the room.

Christopher Walken has a strangely soft side to him, I always found. I don't think that fits well with the stone-jawed determination of Shaddam IV, someone who knows he has a role to play in the larger tapestry of the Empire, but damn if he isn't going to play it to the max.

Not sure I get where you get the bolded from. Sure his power isn't absolute due to the structure of the Landsraad and the power of the Spacing Guild but the Spacing guild had no interest in leading anything or gaining power. Herbert describes it as more of a parasite that can't think beyond its ability to simply siphon wealth and keep its supply of spice stable which is why they wouldn't obey him once Paul controlled it. I would say his power was very near absolute up until Paul managed to cut off spice production. He has as much wealth as the rest of the major Houses combined and by far the best trained soldiers(outside of House Atreides and the Fremen which very few knew).

[Biomega]

Not sure I get where you get the bolded from. Sure his power isn't absolute due to the structure of the Landsraad and the power of the Spacing Guild but the Spacing guild had no interest in leading anything or gaining power. Herbert describes it as more of a parasite that can't think beyond its ability to simply siphon wealth and keep its supply of spice stable which is why they wouldn't obey him once Paul controlled it. I would say his power was very near absolute up until Paul managed to cut off spice production. He has as much wealth as the rest of the major Houses combined and by far the best trained soldiers(outside of House Atreides and the Fremen which very few knew).

There's some hyperbole to what I said of course, but some truth as well - part of the books' message is the problems that arise from singular leadership. It explores in great detail the problems that come with having one person at the top: Shaddam IV's impotent reign; Muad'dib's blindly messianic theocracy; Leto II's benevolent dictatorship. This is contrasted with other forces on the governing process: CHOAM (capital); the Landsraad (aristocracy); the Bene-Gesserit (who refuse to be in charge, but lead through structure); the Spacing Guild (who refuses to lead, but is indispensable); and so on.

Shaddam's position is arguably one of the most tragic ones. He knows he is where he is because it's convenient for everyone. He has nominal power - he's the Emperor, and he has the Sardaukar. But he doesn't have ACTUAL power - his Sardaukar are almost like the family atomics of the Great Houses, too strong to actually use openly because there'd be too many repercussions (hence their surreptitious assistance during the Dune invasion, disguised as Harkonnen troops). He doesn't even control his family, as he is forced to only have daughters and the Bene-Gesserit share in his reign by close proximity. Irulan's interspersed accounts of her father's frustration with that status quo are found all throughout the first Dune book. It all culminates at the end of Dune, when Shaddam orders Count Fenring to kill Muad'dib, and he refuses - his closest friend, the man he thought of as the one person in his life he could rely on. It's the ultimate humiliation. All the power he ostensibly has as Emperor is worth nothing, because it only has meaning as part of a system of interlocking parts, and he knows he can't go against that.

In fact, the whole plot of Dune - the betrayal of the Atreides - is something the Emperor didn't really want. He thinks of Leto favorably, and deeply regrets the various political machinations that lead to the events of Dune. But he can't do anything to stop them, or even mitigate them. Such is the impotence of Shaddam IV, the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe.

[Jastall]

You think Dance doesn't ooze smug confidence?

And sure the Emperor isn't in charge, but he ACTS like he is - he doesn't show up a lot even in the book, but where he does, he very much acts like he dominates the room.

Christopher Walken has a strangely soft side to him, I always found. I don't think that fits well with the stone-jawed determination of Shaddam IV, someone who knows he has a role to play in the larger tapestry of the Empire, but damn if he isn't going to play it to the max.

He can be harder when he has to be, I remember him as the stern dad in Catch Me if you Can for example. Dance oozes confidence but the kind of overblown smugness I imagine Shaddam displaying? I dunno, he wouldn't be bad at it by any means but I don't think he would uniquely nail it.

Villeneuve has been spot on for his casting so far IMO, I won't doubt this choice before seeing the results for myself. Charles Dance himself wasn't particularly known as a uniquely gifted actor for leadership role until GoT made him a sensation.

Uh, looking at Dance's IMDB, he played Lord Vetinari in an adaptation of Going Postal. This I have to see.

[Berndorf]

There's some hyperbole to what I said of course, but some truth as well - part of the books' message is the problems that arise from singular leadership. It explores in great detail the problems that come with having one person at the top: Shaddam IV's impotent reign; Muad'dib's blindly messianic theocracy; Leto II's benevolent dictatorship. This is contrasted with other forces on the governing process: CHOAM (capital); the Landsraad (aristocracy); the Bene-Gesserit (who refuse to be in charge, but lead through structure); the Spacing Guild (who refuses to lead, but is indispensable); and so on.

Shaddam's position is arguably one of the most tragic ones. He knows he is where he is because it's convenient for everyone. He has nominal power - he's the Emperor, and he has the Sardaukar. But he doesn't have ACTUAL power - his Sardaukar are almost like the family atomics of the Great Houses, too strong to actually use openly because there'd be too many repercussions (hence their surreptitious assistance during the Dune invasion, disguised as Harkonnen troops). He doesn't even control his family, as he is forced to only have daughters and the Bene-Gesserit share in his reign by close proximity. Irulan's interspersed accounts of her father's frustration with that status quo are found all throughout the first Dune book. It all culminates at the end of Dune, when Shaddam orders Count Fenring to kill Muad'dib, and he refuses - his closest friend, the man he thought of as the one person in his life he could rely on. It's the ultimate humiliation. All the power he ostensibly has as Emperor is worth nothing, because it only has meaning as part of a system of interlocking parts, and he knows he can't go against that.

In fact, the whole plot of Dune - the betrayal of the Atreides - is something the Emperor didn't really want. He thinks of Leto favorably, and deeply regrets the various political machinations that lead to the events of Dune. But he can't do anything to stop them, or even mitigate them. Such is the impotence of Shaddam IV, the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe.

Everything you said is more or less how any emperor/king is. Which goes for many kings of earth who ruled for decades and are thought of in history as among the most powerful who ever lived. There are always limits to power and it is always part of interlocking systems to some degree. Even in ancient Egypt. My point though is that I don't think referring to Shaddam as a puppet does justice to him as a character because I would say Herbert builds him up as a highly intelligent and self absorbed person. He understands his limits within the overall structure that exists in the galaxy but isn't being used like a puppet might be imo. Most rulers have advisers who hold some degree of sway over them. Their main thought is always how to consolidate power and eliminate threats. House Atreides became something of a threat for a few reasons and thus was seen as an enemy. Just as the Baron knew he was always close to being seen as a threat.

[Biomega]

Everything you said is more or less how any emperor/king is. Which goes for many kings of earth who ruled for decades and are thought of in history as among the most powerful who ever lived. There are always limits to power and it is always part of interlocking systems to some degree. Even in ancient Egypt. My point though is that I don't think referring to Shaddam as a puppet does justice to him as a character because I would say Herbert builds him up as a highly intelligent and self absorbed person. He understands his limits within the overall structure that exists in the galaxy but isn't being used like a puppet might be imo. Most rulers have advisers who hold some degree of sway over them. Their main thought is always how to consolidate power and eliminate threats. House Atreides became something of a threat for a few reasons and thus was seen as an enemy. Just as the Baron knew he was always close to being seen as a threat.

The Atreides/Harkonnen feud has a LONG history, it wasn't just a recent development of Leto becoming very popular - which by itself was all by design anyway. The various factions were maneuvered into precisely this kind of confrontation by the Bene-Gesserit, with the express goal of then presenting a solution in the form of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen marrying Leto's firstborn daughter to end the feud, consolidate the two most powerful Great Houses, and produce the Kwisatz-Haderach. He'd succeed Shaddam IV (who was purposely kept without an heir) and lead mankind to a glorious destiny.

None of it was Shaddam's doing. In fact he voiced regrets about the situation and the forces which pressured him to take up arms against Leto.

You're not wrong that this is a reflection of many previous monarchy models, though the extent of the sovereign's actual power varies depending on what culture and what historical period you look at. Of course politics is a game of compromises, but there were definitely autocratic rulers with a lot of personal decision-making power (for good or ill) as well as the more reigned-in ones subject to the tidal forces of their respective political system. That is, in part, what Herbert is putting on display here: that the idea of a monarch (and it's no coincidence that Shaddam's title is quite ostentatiously absolute) is a construct suggesting more power than is actually represented in that single person; and that even an otherwise ambitious and proud man like Shaddam can be brought to heel by the demands of those who are truly in charge. No coincidence at all that the flag he raises upon landing on Dune is not one of the Houses (any of them), but of CHOAM. Muad'dib's subsequent reign as a messianic king is another facet of this, as his entire life is effectively driven by his inability to steer his followers away from a jihad. And Leto completes the circle with the Machiavellian exercise of an un-usurpable god-king as a benevolent dictator - the consequences of what would ACTUALLY happen if there was an absolute, unquestioned monarch in charge. (As for the last few books not written by Frank Herbert himself, who the fuck knows what's going on there).

[Nihilist74]

Why do you believe this? He's a good actor. Sure most of his parts have him be the quirky guy that shows up then is never seen again but he can do far more than that under a good director.

Besides, the character he'll play is basically a grown up Joffrey from GoT. You need both acting chops and quirkiness to sell that IMO.

I don't see Christopher Walken as an emperor of anything. He doesn't have a regal aura.
A person named Ihavewaffles suggested Charles Dance as emperor. I think that would be a great choice.

[BigToast]

I don't see Christopher Walken as an emperor of anything. He doesn't have a regal aura.
A person named Ihavewaffles suggested Charles Dance as emperor. I think that would be a great choice.

I trust Villeneuve and company a bit more than you (some Nihilist on the internet). They have a pretty good track record in the film business.

[DarkAmbient]

Walken is a great casting. My only concern is he's old as fuck, so I hope he makes it to the end of filming.

[Iain]

Canonically the Emperor is old but has the looks of someone in his thirties.

[hulkgor]

Very interested in how it will turn out!

Not who i'd first imagine in the role, but i feel like it could turn out to be something really, really special.

Love Christopher Walken and i have complete faith in Villeneuve's vision.

[Iain]

All this time I had Toby Stephens in mind for emperor:



Bonus is that this guy always plays a royal-blooded asshole.