Dave Bautista and Stellan Skarsgard join Denis Villeneuve's epic 'Dune'

Until Christopher Nolan announces his next movie, few blockbusters will be the subject of as much relentless cinephile chatter as Dune, the latest project from Denis Villeneuve. Though the Blade Runner 2049 director's ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel (a property David Lynch already took a stab at, resulting in disaster) will likely be doomed to the same financial fate as his recent sci-fi sequel, that won't stop fans from spreading the word and breathlessly awaiting each new development. Casting for the project got off to a strong start, with Oscar nominee and online heartthrob Timothée Chalamet on board for the role of hero Paul Atreides and Mission: Impossible star Rebecca Ferguson set to play Lady Jessica. And with production ramping up for a possible 2020 release, more notable names have been added to the ensemble.

On Monday, Variety first reported that Dave Bautista has joined the cast, returning for another collaboration with Villeneuve after his role as Sapper Morton in Blade Runner. Later in the day, The Hollywood Reporter added that Bautista will play "Beast" Rabban, a villainous character described as "the sadistic nephew" of a powerful "baron." The baron in question is Baron Harkonnen, who will be played by Stellan Skarsgard, according to yesterday's THR report. Skarsgard's character apparently operates in stark opposition to the Atreides dynasty, so we'll see him face off against Chalamet when all is said and done. The news of Skarsgard's casting also came with some additional information on the shoot itself, which will reportedly commence in the spring in Budapest and Jordan. There has been no subsequent information on whether Villeneuve will shoot two Dune films back-to-back (as was heavily rumored at one point), but I imagine we'll have a better picture of how this shapes up in a few months. 

All in all, these are two exciting developments. Bautista was an integral part of 2049, and Skarsgard is a consistently good character actor. As someone who doesn't know much about the whole Dune thing, the wealth of talent involved is certainly enough to catch my attention.

Look for more on Villeneuve's latest as production nears. 

Images: Warner Bros.