Austin Butler's Dune 2 Character Is A Cross Between A Sociopath Serial Killer And Mick Jagger
It's almost time to return to the harsh desert landscapes of Arrakis, as director Denis Villeneuve gears up to unleash his follow-up to 2021's "Dune." The filmmaker showed off "Dune: Part Two" footage at CinemaCon recently, giving audiences a first glimpse at the upcoming movie in which Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides continues his quest for revenge after his father, Leto (Oscar Isaac) and leader of House Atreides is killed during an invasion led by the rival House Harkonnen.
"Part Two" wrapped filming back in December 2022, and is set to feature much of the same all-star cast as the first entry. Alongside Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck and Dave Bautista's Glossu Rabban, Zendaya will be given much more to do this time around as Paul's love interest and fearsome fighter in her own right, Chani. Stellan Skarsgård also returns as the film's big bad, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and Javier Bardem's Stilgar will lead the Fremen tribe that takes in Paul and helps him wage his desert war.
But this time, the "Dune" cast has expanded with some impressive additions in the form of Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan and Austin Butler's Harkonnen prince and nephew to the Barron, Feyd-Rautha. Originally played by Sting in David Lynch's 1984 "Dune," Feyd-Rautha is a formidable and cruel villain who will no doubt create serious problems for Paul on his quest for vengeance. And whereas Sting is remembered for his frequently shirtless portrayal of the character, according to Villeneuve, Butler will be a much more menacing version of Feyd-Rautha, apparently with a rock star twist ...
This ain't Sting's Feyd-Rautha
Austin Butler found himself preparing for his role in Dune during the press tour for his wildly successful "Elvis." As he told the In The Envelope podcast, he would be doing press for the Baz Luhrman movie during the day, and training with a Navy SEAL at night. The actor explained, "I had this guy Duffy who was a Navy SEAL who trained me for months beforehand, just to get my body into a place where it was available to be able to not only be an imposing physical presence but to be able to do whatever was asked of me."
Butler not only underwent physical training, but had his appearance drastically altered via makeup and effects to become Feyd-Rautha. The result, as /Film's Ben Pearson described it, is a version of the character who is "completely shaven with white skin and dark eyes."
Now, thanks to a Vanity Fair preview, we have even more insight into Butler's portrayal, with Denis Villeneuve telling the outlet, "Austin Butler brought to the screen something that would be a cross between a psychotic, sociopath serial killer and Mick Jagger." Unlike Sting's oddly sexy version of the assassin, Butler's appears to be a truly menacing iteration that has somehow embodied some of the rock star energy of his 1984 counterpart. But it seems the darker aspects will be the main focus, with Vanity Fair describing Butler's character as having a "corpse-like pale visage." Villeneuve also described him as, "someone Machiavellian, much more cruel, much more strategic, and is more narcissistic." Sadly, the director is holding off on giving the wider public a full look at his vision for Feyd-Rautha, but we're sure it won't be long before we get to see Butler in full makeup.
Sympathy for the devil
At this stage, there's still very little known about Austin Butler's Feyd-Rautha, but as "Dune: Part Two" draws nearer there's sure to be a big reveal of his final look on the way. In the meantime, Butler revealed a little more about his character to the In The Envelope podcast, saying:
"It's a thing of the bad guy in the world doesn't feel that he's the bad guy, you know. He feels like he's the hero of his own story [...] but you have to not judge the character and find a way to really feel the motivation towards any one of your actions."
No mention of any Rolling Stones frontmen or Sting-like swagger. In fact, it seems as though the "Elvis" actor has taken his role quite seriously. According to Ben Pearson's reporting from CinemaCon, the sneak peek footage contained several intense knife fights involving Feyd-Rautha, no doubt made all the more intense due to Butler's training with a Navy SEAL. An image revealed by Vanity Fair shows the character in silhouette holding two blades, suggesting these are, indeed, his weapon of choice. And It looks like a third "Dune" movie is on its way, so if Butler's assassin survives "Part Two" we could be in for plenty of intense blade duels in the future. Just where the Mick Jagger energy enters the picture remains unclear, as it doesn't seem like we'll see Butler peacocking his way across the plains of Arrakis in the film. We'll have to wait to see how that one plays out when "Dune: Part Two" releases exclusively in theaters on November 3, 2023.