The world of Arrakis just added another fabulous actor to its vast tapestry. Little Women and Black Widow star Florence Pugh is reportedly in talks for the pivotal role of Princess Irulan in Dune: Part Two. Director Denis Villeneuve's continuation of the engrossing Dune saga picks up with Paul Atreides (Timotheé Chalamet) as he transitions into a messiah on two different fronts.
As per the end of Dune: Part One, Paul is now the 'mahdi', the chosen one as prophesised by the Arrakis Fremen. However, he's also destined to transform into the 'kwisatz haderach', the super-being that has been portended by the secretive and powerful Bene Gesserit sect, to which Paul's mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), belongs.
Princess Irulan is the daughter of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, the galactic ruler who, with the help of the scheming Harkonnens, lured the Atreides family into a cruel death trap on the planet of Arrakis. We haven't yet seen the Emperor within Villeneuve's iteration of Dune, and the actor is yet to be cast. However, Pugh is surely a brilliant choice for the tenacious Irulan whose eventual union with Paul anticipates sweeping (and not altogether hopeful) change for the entire universe.
In Frank Herbert's original Dune novel, Irulan relates the tale of the 'kwisatz haderach' via epigraphs that appear at the beginning of the chapters. In terms of her screen time, Irulan may not appear in Dune: Part Two all that much (unless Villeneuve decides to expand her role). However, it's likely that her appearance in this movie will facilitate her more substantial role in Dune: Messiah, which Villeneuve has expressed interest in adapting.
It should be stressed that Pugh hasn't yet signed on the dotted line. There are rumours that she's set to portray Madonna in a biopic of the musician's life, and scheduling conflicts may well arise with Dune. However, we're really excited about the possibility of a Little Women-themed reunion between Pugh and Chalamet. She's also set to appear opposite Harry Styles in this September's psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde.
We're also curious as to who will play the role of Feyd-Rautha. The dangerous and cunning nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard), Feyd is set to emerge in Dune: Part Two as a dangerous opponent for Paul. On that note, we've already presented our list of the actors who ought to be cast in Dune: Part Two – will any of these come to fruition, we wonder? Dune: Part Two shoots this summer and is set for release on 20th October 2023.
In the meantime, we anticipate Dune: Part One's potential success at the 2022 Oscars. Dune is nominated for 10 Academy Awards (infuriatingly, this doesn't include Denis Villeneuve), and the ceremony gets underway on 27th March.
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