Everything You Need To Know About Austin Butler's Dune 2 Character
Happy "Dune" Day, folks!
The official trailer for "Dune: Part Two" is slated to drop today and give us our first extended look at whatever director Denis Villeneuve and his all-star ensemble have in store for us. (So far, we've only had this brief sneak peek to go on.) So there's no time like the present to brush up on the exciting new additions to the cast of the sequel. The famous, best-selling Frank Herbert novel introduced readers to the punishing world of Arrakis and the fierce battle between the Atreides family and the Harkonnens back in 1965. But thanks to the 2021 adaptation, the classic sci-fi story has well and truly entered the mainstream for all those who never got around to reading the dense, lore-packed original book. Somehow, we now live in a world where the epic-sized (and prohibitively expensive) adaptation actually made enough money to justify a direct sequel, which I must admit is now messing up all my theories about us living in the worst timeline.
But as the progenitor of other world-famous and iconic stories like "Star Wars," "Dune" has always maintained a reputation of being rather intimidating to the uninitiated. From the secret motivations of the Bene Gesserit to the intricacies of Arrakis' political importance to all the nerdy world-building details that make this universe so distinct, there's a lot for casual fans to keep track of. Last time, we provided a handy explainer of what you need to know about Florence Pugh's Princess Irulan. Now, there's another major player that you'll want to keep an eye on throughout the months leading up to "Dune: Part 2."
So strap on your Fremen desert gear, inhale a load of mind-altering spice, and follow along on our spoiler-free breakdown of Austin Butler's new antagonist, Feyd-Rautha.
Excused absence
While the broad strokes of the plot remain overtly faithful to the novel (some grumps might argue that it's a little too faithful), Villeneuve and co-writers Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth made one major change when adapting the first half of the book. Feyd-Rautha, the nephew to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and younger brother to Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), was nowhere to be seen.
That is no longer the case in the sequel, which is set to feature Feyd prominently throughout the action. Those who know their "Dune" history will remember him as the same character portrayed so memorably by Sting in David Lynch's 1984 film, but fans can expect a radically different (and slightly less horny) take this time around with the "Elvis" breakout actor entrenched in the part. Thanks to a recent Vanity Fair feature, we know that Butler's portrayal of Feyd-Rautha will channel "a psychotic, sociopath serial killer and Mick Jagger" in a much different way than his blunt instrument of a brother, Rabban. While his shaven and pale appearance stands in stark contrast to how he's described in the book — dark hair, a round face, and "sullen" eyes — it seems clear that his supporting turn in "Dune: Part 2" will stand out.
As the smarter and more conniving of the Baron's two nephews, Feyd factors heavily into his uncle's plans right from the start. Only 15 at the start of the novel, the Baron already entertains grand notions of seating Feyd-Rautha on the Emperor's throne. A master at knife play and one-on-one duels, Feyd might as well have been born to lead the bloodthirsty Harkonnens ... if he can remain patient long enough, that is. This, naturally, puts him on a collision course with Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides.
A secret weapon
It's a well-worn trope of the genre for a reason: every protagonist embarking on the hero's journey needs a villain to match. 2021's "Dune" wasted no time positioning Paul Atreides as its "Chosen One" figure at the heart of the story, encouraged by his father the Duke (Oscar Isaac) to grow up, observe how to rule, and become a true leader — all in the harshest environment conceivable. But while Paul grew up in a privileged life of luxury on the Atreides' luscious and well-watered homeworld of Caladan, Feyd-Rautha is the product of growing up amid the fighting pits of the Harkonnen planet Giedi Prime. Essentially kidnapped from his father by the ruthless Baron and raised as his heir apparent, Feyd is the foil of Paul in every way.
While it made a certain amount of narrative logic to excise the character from the already-stuffed script for "Dune," the sequel will have its work cut out for it in setting up Feyd as Paul's greatest foe. The Baron remains the main antagonist to House Atreides and the as-of-yet unseen Emperor (played by Christopher Walken in the sequel) represents an even larger threat, but Feyd will certainly provide a much more immediate threat as House Harkonnen now maintains control of Arrakis in the aftermath of their successful coup at the end of the first film.
But that's not to say that the only obstacle he poses is physical. Villeneuve described Feyd as "Machiavellian, much more cruel, much more strategic, and is more narcissistic," adding a whole new dimension (and a sense of agency) to the character that ought to flesh out what existed in the book. Buckle up, folks, because Feyd-Rautha is not messing around.
"Dune: Part Two" will hit theaters on November 3, 2023.