Robert Pattinson is being eyed to star in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Messiah” in the role of a villain, TheWrap has learned.
No formal offer has been made to Pattinson. The third film in the “Dune” franchise is looking to commence production this summer as Villeneuve puts the finishing touches on the screenplay.
The filmmaker has made clear he very much wants to make “Messiah” to close out his trilogy about Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. “Dune: Messiah” takes place 12 years after the events of “Dune,” and Villeneuve has stated he intends to take advantage of the time jump to age up his characters.
“The screenplay’s in progress,” Villeneuve told Vanity Fair last year. “I’m very happy where it’s going, but it’s not finished, and I don’t know how healthy it’ll be to go straight to ‘Messiah’ right away. It would be healthy to do something in between.”
The director also said he wants to take the time to make sure the “Dune 3” script is in tip-top shape before moving forward. “I want to make sure that if we go back there a third time that it’ll be worth it, and that it would make something even better than ‘Part Two.’”
Along with Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh and Josh Brolin are also expected to return for “Dune: Messiah.”
Pattinson is currently in production on Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of “The Odyssey” and is expected to return as Batman in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman: Part 2,” which is also looking to shoot at the end of this year. Pattinson is repped by WME, 3 Arts Entertainment, Curtis Brown Group and attorney Robert Offer.
Legendary had no comment. Deadline first reported the news.
“Dune: Messiah” is expected to hit theaters in 2026.
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