As Denis Villeneuve’s third Dune film enters the preproduction phase, rumors are circulating that one cast member will return for the movie, even though his character was slain in Dune: Part One. According to a leak from Hollywood scooper The InSneider, Jason Momoa will return as Duncan Idaho in Dune 3, aka Dune Messiah.
For fans of the movies and of Momoa in particular, this might come as a shock. But for longtime Dune heads, this is the least surprising development ever. Because not only does Dune 3 have to bring back Momoa, but essentially, all possible Dune sequels after that would require him to show up, too. Here’s why. Mild book spoilers ahead.
Why Jason Momoa has to be in Dune 3
In the novel Dune Messiah, one of the biggest plot twists happens very early: the Bene Tleilax gifts Paul Atreides with a ghola of Duncan Idaho who they have dubbed “Hayt.” In Messiah, Frank Herbert retroactively created the idea of a ghola, a kind of clone that is made from the remains of someone’s cells. In Dune Messiah, the gholas appear totally human, except for their eyes, which are metallic. In later books, as technology improves, gholas have more natural eyes.
But one of the central storylines of Dune Messiah involves Hayt regaining his memories of his previous life as Duncan, and returning to his previous personality and loyalty to House Atreides. Essentially, the final moments of Dune Messiah would make no sense without Momoa’s involvement.
Jason Momoa could actually be in all the Dune movies
The funny thing about Duncan Idaho is that unlike Paul or even Paul’s children, Duncan is the only character from the first book who is also in all six of the original Frank Herbert novels. This is because the Duncan ghola from Messiah is not the last time the character is brought back to life. Duplicates of Duncan exist in every single Dune book, all the way through the sixth book in the original saga, Chapterhouse: Dune, which takes place roughly 5,000 years after the first three novels. This means you’ve got at least 5,000 years of Duncan Idaho, which means if a Dune 4 happens (based on Children of Dune), he’ll certainly be in it.
Calling Duncan Idaho the secret main character of Dune wouldn’t be wrong exactly. But he’s certainly the most consistent character in the original Dune books, and probably the most beloved. In short, when casting Duncan, Denis Villeneuve clearly thought ahead. The greatest swordsman in the universe, who lives countless lives over 5,000 years required a very specific type of actor.
The only question now is whether or not the various Duncan gholas will require Momoa to shave his beard. Again.
