The cast for Dune Messiah is turning out to be just as star-studded as the first two Denis Villeneuve Dune films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Robert Pattinson is all but confirmed to play Scytale in the third Dune movie, which would make him the primary villain of the story. And if Pattinson is taking on this role, he could make a slightly frustrating Dune character into something much more interesting.
Dune Messiah is the second Dune book written by Frank Herbert, and it takes place 12 years after the events of Dune. Paul is ruling the galaxy, and everyone is trying to murder him. In fact, a massive conspiracy to get Paul off of the throne is what makes up the majority of the story of Dune Messiah. Less than half as long as the first novel, Dune Messiah is almost an extended coda for the first book; ending the primary story of Paul and Chani and setting up the heirs of Arrakis for a lot of trouble in the third book, Children of Dune.
In the book, Scytale isn’t exactly the mastermind of the scheme to screw-over Paul, but he is a pivotal part of the plan. Though there are no aliens in Dune, Scytale is a human “Face Dancer,” meaning he’s essentially a shapeshifter with the ability to look like another person. The first Dune novel — and therefore the first two movies — didn’t set this kind of thing up, but the recent prequel series, Dune: Prophecy, did. In that series, we got our first on-screen version of a Face Dancer in the form of Sister Theo (Jade Anouka), which sets up this crucial element for Dune 3.
If Pattinson is playing Scytale in Dune 3, it automatically means this character will be a bit more complex than he is in the novel. Yes, a shapeshifting baddie is interesting, but just like Villeneuve expanded the role of Chani (Zendaya) in Dune 2, it stands to reason that he’s not going to just bring in a great actor like Pattinson, only to have him come across as a one-note schemer.
It’s also possible, of course, that this rumor is wrong, and Pattinson is playing someone else in Dune 3. In Dune 2, we got a flash-forward of Anya Taylor-Joy as Paul’s sister, Alia, in the future. Could Pattinson be cast in a similar future-tense role?
Because if there is a Dune 4 after Dune 3, or if Villeneuve is blending elements of the second and third book into one film for Dune 3, then there’s another role that Pattinson would be great for: The son of Paul and Chani, Leto II, the God Emperor of Dune.
