Austin Butler on playing Feyd in Dune: Part Two: “Characters like these can be hard to justify”

Dune: Part Two is slated for a March 1, 2024 release in theatres in English and Hindi. It will release in IMAX Cinemas one day early on February 29.

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

February 22, 2024 - 4:28 PM IST

The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on Dune: Part Two, the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel "Dune", with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning Dune.

Austin Butler on playing Feyd in Dune: Part Two: “Characters like these can be hard to justify”

The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar nominee Josh Brolin, Oscar nominee Austin Butler, Oscar nominee Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Oscar winner Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub with Stellan Skarsgård with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling, and Oscar winner Javier Bardem.

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen - House Harkonnen’s deadliest weapon is now ready to be revealed and it's none other than Oscar nominee Austin Butler. Feline, muscular and with the full-body alopecia typical of the Harkonnens, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen’s intelligence is matched by his cruelty, and he employs both in combat, making him a truly formidable foe to anyone that crosses his path.

Butler has been a massive fan of the first film, Dune, having read the novel as a teen. “The first time I watched it I had the same feelings I felt when I saw ‘Apocalypse Now’ for the first time. I knew right then that I wanted to be a part of the next one. So, I feel very fortunate", he says.

When he was first approached with the script of Dune: Part Two, Butler was completely bowled over. "As soon as I read the script and spoke to Denis, I knew that it was going to be so much fun. Denis is an incredible writer, he understands story and humanity and is able to layer it really well. He also writes in a very visual way, so I knew it was going to be a great film. You don’t get to play characters like this every day, and on top of that was the challenge of the physical transformation. It was also about getting into his psychology, discussing with Denis why he behaves like he does, his relationship with his family and the brutal world of the uncle, which he grew up within. Characters like Feyd can be hard to justify, yet humanity is full of those types of people, so shining a light on that part of the human condition was a fascinating thing to explore", he says

Ask him about what struck a chord with him about the story, Butler says, "Dune is so relevant now. When I first read the book, I was 15, I didn't understand those themes of corruption and greed and power or the idea of one society living in harmony with nature and another society exploiting nature. But rereading it and then reading the screenplay, it felt like it is talking about what’s happening in the news today.”

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavours to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Dune: Part Two is slated for a March 1, 2024 release in theatres in English and Hindi. It will release in IMAX Cinemas one day early on February 29.