Christopher Walken Cast As The Emperor In 'Dune Part Two'
By Kristin Myers on May 14, 2022 at 11:30 AM EDT
Actor Christopher Walken is about to join the cast of “Dune.”
On Thursday, Deadline announced that the 79-year-old actor has been cast in the highly anticipated sequel, “Dune: Part Two.”
Christopher Walken Joins The Cast Of ‘Dune’
The “Catch Me If You Can” actor is joining an already star-studded cast for the “Dune” sequel.
The cast currently includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and Josh Brolin, who are all expected to reprise their roles from the first installment. Director Dennis Villeneuve will return to write, direct, and produce the second film as well. Jon Spaihts will be back to co-write the script.
Production on “Dune: Part Two” is expected to start in the fall. The release date is currently scheduled for October 20, 2023.
Although “Dune: Part One” was available to stream on HBO Max the same day it was released in theaters, the film still had an opening weekend of $41 million, which exceeded pandemic box office expectations and led to its sequel being greenlit a few weeks later.
To date, Deadline reported that the film has picked up $400 million dollars at the international box office, raking in $108 million at the domestic box office. The film also scooped up ten Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture.
‘Dune: Part One’ Lauded By Critics And Audiences Alike
On Rotten Tomatoes, “Dune: Part One” currently has an 83% score from critics and a 90% score from audiences. Many of the negative reviews complained about the film’s lengthy run-time at 2 hours and 35 minutes long.
David Reddish of Queerty wrote, “If nothing else, Dune wins its place as a masterpiece of adaptation, truncating roughly half the novel into its runtime to expand the books monomaniacal focus on Paul into a more ensemble narrative.” Reddish gave the film four out of four stars.
Grant Watson of Fiction Machine wrote, “From the costumes to the enormous machinery and craft of mining spice the film presents a beautifully realised and consistent universe.” Watson gave the film a 7 out of 10.
Carson Timar of Buttered Popcorn wrote, “Sure it is long and dense, but the drama of Dune is engaging and it does make the audience care about its characters and stories.” Timar gave the film a B+.
Steph Green of The Digital Fix wrote, “With the best Hans Zimmer score of the past decade and endless crisp tableaus of jaw-dropping cinematography, Denis Villeneuve has delivered and then some of his mission to give Frank Herberts pioneering novel due diligence on the big screen.” Green gave the film four out of five stars.
Steve Crum of Crum on Showbiz wrote, “The paramount attractions, the visuals, connect immediately. The landscapes, costuming, sets, makeup, creatures and wild special effects are stunning.”
Dolores Quintana wrote, “Denis Villeneuve's DUNE is the type of epic filmmaking that many reach for and can't grasp. Full of emotional resonance and with the philosophical core of the book coursing through the film's veins like lifeblood, it puts other franchises to shame.”
Robert Roten of Laramie Movie Scope wrote, “It has been many years since I read the first Dune book, but it seems to me that this movie captures the spirit of that haunting, powerful book. Perhaps the movie is popular for the same reason the book is popular.” Roten gave the film a B score.
Although there’s still over a year to go until “Dune: Part Two” hits theaters, at least fans always have the book to fall back on.
