We might have just had a tidbit of casting news that pointed to this news coming soon, but now it’s official: Legendary’s take on Dune has found a very important Baron, in the form of Stellan Skarsgård.
The Hollywood Reporter has word that Skarsgård has joined the ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction series to play the infamous Baron Harkonnen, one of the primary antagonists of the novel, and part of the former ruling family that dominated the desert world of Arrakis before its current rulers, House Atreides, came to power.
The bitterly jealous Harkonnen plots with the Emperor of the Galaxy to undermine the Atreides’ rule, leading to a coup that sends the Atreides heir, Paul (played by Timothée Chalamet), into hiding and on a quest that would eventually see him rise up to overthrow the Empire and Harkonnen’s grip on Arrakis.
All this casting news means that, after a few years of waiting to see literally any movement on this project, Villeneuve’s dream of bringing Dune to life is getting closer and closer to seemingly happening.
There’s no release date revealed for the movie yet, but maybe, just maybe, we’ll actually get another new take on Dune in the not so distant future
Maybe. After all, the spice must flow, somehow.