Christopher Walken will play Shaddam IV, the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, alongside Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in Denis Villeneuve "Dune Part Two."
Walken casting rounds out the main characters in Villeneuve adaptation of Frank Herbert seminal science-fiction novel. He joins Florence Pugh ("Black Widow") as the Emperor daughter, Princess Irulan, and Austin Butler (star of the upcoming "Elvis") as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the Harkonnen dynasty presumptive heir.
The sequel will be produced by Villeneuve, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, and Tanya Lapointe, and executive produced by Josh Grode, David Valdes, Herbert W. Gains, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Thomas Tull, Spaihts, Richard P. Rubinstein, and John Harrison.
Although the Emperor does not appear in "Dune Part One," he sets the story in motion by sending the House Atreides on a perilous mission to seize control of the Spice mining planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. The Emperor, jealous of the Atreides' power and respect in the universe, conspires with Dune previous overseers, House Harkonnen, to exterminate the Atreides family forever. That plan ultimately fails when Paul Atreides (Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) flee into the desert, paving the way for Paul to become the messianic figure known as the Kwisatz Haderach — an event that will culminate in the events of "Dune Part Two."
Legendary and Warner Bros. took a risk with Villeneuve's first "Dune" film, splitting the novel in two to do it justice, but the studios only funded the first half in the hope that it would be popular enough to warrant making the second. It was as follows: "Dune," which was released in theatres and on HBO Max on the same day, grossed $400.6 million worldwide. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including best picture, and won six of them: for sound, visual effects, production design, original score, editing, and cinematography.
Production on "Dune Part Two" is set to begin later this year, with a release date of October 20, 2023.
Walken most recently appeared in the Apple TV+ series "Severence" and the Amazon Prime Video series "Outlaws," both of which he won an Oscar for best supporting actor for in 1978 "The Dear Hunter." ICM Partners represents him.
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