Casting Six New Characters in 'Dune: Messiah'

caution: minor spoilers for frank herbert's 'dune: messiah'

With Deadline reporting that ‘Dune: Messiah’ will begin filming as early as this June, casting announcements should be right around the corner. As we approach a whirlwind of rumors and reports, let’s dive into some options for six new major characters expected to appear in ‘Dune: Messiah’.

1. Scytale

Scytale serves as one of the primary antagonists of the second novel in the ‘Dune’ series and acts as the incredibly cold centerpiece of one of the conspiracies against Emperor Paul Muad’Dib Atreides. Scytale belongs to the Bene Tleilax, or the Tleilaxu, a group of secretive, hermetic, and extremely xenophobic genetically altered humans inhabiting the planet Tleilax. Their particularly brutal customs and practices inspires widespread disgust across the Known Universe. Sctyale in particular is a Face Dancer, a shape-shifting sterile race of transhumans engineered by the Tleilaxu. Because he is a shape-shifter, it is unclear in Frank Herbert’s novel if he has a “true” identity, as we see him take on the appearance of various characters. As such, it’s difficult to predict how he’ll appear in Villeneuve’s next film. However, here are a few guesses or suggestions for who could portray his “neutral” state.

Vincent Cassel

Cassel’s antagonistic credits include his roles in the ‘Ocean’s’ franchise and ‘Mesrine’. He’s certainly got a creepy presence about him and the acting chops to handle such a meaty role, as showcased by his lead role in ‘La Haine’. Cassel’s Sctyale would certainly fulfill the dark, menacing sensibility needed for the role.

Benicio Del Toro

Del Toro would similarly fit the bill for the new antagonist. His experience in the Disney ‘Star Wars’ sequels proves his ability to assimilate into a grand sci-fi opera. Furthermore, his performances in films like ‘Traffic’ and ‘The Usual Suspects’ illustrate his talent for meaty, nuanced, and morally grey characters. His previous work with Villeneuve in ‘Sicario’ also ups his chances to join the cast given Villeneuve’s tendency to rely on many of the same stars, such as ‘Sicario’ co-star Josh Brolin (Gurney Halleck) and ‘Prisoners’ actor David Dastmalchian (Piter de Vries).

Burn Gorman

Scytale certainly exists in the realm of Gorman’s ouvre as he’s seemingly been typecast as enigmatic, scheming antagonists. With credits including ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Watcher’, and ‘And Then There Were None’ under his belt, Gorman’s proven with his incredible dexterity over his expressions and command of his impenetrable persona that he is more than capable of undertaking the Tleilaxu Face Dancer.

Paul Dano

Another former Villeneuve collaborator, given his antagonistic role in ‘Prisoners’, Dano might be a more unconventional pick for the role of Scytale. Perhaps moreso than the others on this list, Dano’s antagonists tend to be a bit more nuanced and tortured, as exemplified by his roles in the aforementioned ‘Prisoners’, as well as ‘The Batman’, and BBC’s ‘War & Peace’. Perhaps this is just the quality Villeneuve is looking for in Scytale.

Oliver Masucci

Finally, my personal favorite for the role of Scytale, Oliver Masucci. Masuscci has expertly portrayed a wide range of eclectic characters on both sides of the Atlantic such as Adolf Hitler in ‘Look Who's Back’, Rainer Werner Fassbinder in ‘Enfant Terrible’ and Anton Vogel in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Franchise, distilling each character with a deep sense of brooding. Masucci’s tour de force and incredible turn as Ulrich Nielsen in ‘Dark’ perfectly encapsulates his immense talent for transformation and portraying a paradoxical, morally grey character full of contradictions such as Scytale.

2. Edric

Another key figure in the conspiracy against the Emperor, Edric certainly will prove the most difficult character to adapt to the screen. Edric is a Guild Navigator, or Steersman, a rank of pharmaceutically-enhanced humans within the Spacing Guild. As a result of the consumption of massive doses of spice, they have been physically transformed into a squid-like creature as seen above in David Lynch’s ‘Dune’. This abuse of spice allows them to harness a highly conditioned form of prescience in order for highliners to safely navigate interstellar space. Given that he has chosen to exclude the Guild Navigators thus far, it’s hard to imagine how Villeneuve will approach the character; whether he’ll make Edric a more humanoid figure like something from ‘The Shape of Water’, go full on CGI and have an actor simply provide his voice, or somewhere in the middle. Despite his revolting appearance, Edric’s addiction to spice, low intelligence, and stubborn nature pushes his character into the realm of comedic relief in Herbert’s novel. If Villeneuve were to maintain this, whoever takes on the role must balance such a paradoxical combination of terrifying omniscience and utter stupidity.

Ralph Fiennes

While perhaps a bit on the nose (or lack thereof), Fiennes would certainly fit the bill given his experience with similar characters, namely Lord Voldemort in the ‘Harry Potter’ series. Furthermore, his role in this year’s ‘Conclave’ showcases Fiennes’ talent for combining a multitude of contrasting characteristics at once.

Andy Serkis

Given his iconic performances as Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ franchise, and Caesar in ‘The Planet of the Apes’ franchise, this is another obvious choice that just makes sense. Should Villeneuve go the motion-capture route, Serkis has proven more than anyone in Hollywood his strengths regarding his physicality and vocal performances. Regardless of approach, Serkis feels like a no-brainer.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Staying in Middle-Earth, Benedict Cumberbatch, who similarly used motion capture for his role of Smaug in ‘The Hobbit’, is another obvious choice. Cumberbatch’s undeniable talent and enigmatic presence, as well as his knack for comedy makes him a great candidate for the Spacing Guild Navigator.

3. Korba

Villeneuve elected not to include Korda in his adaptations of the first ‘Dune’ novel. However, Korba’s much larger role in the sequel novel will seemingly force Villeneuve to include him in ‘Dune: Messiah’. Like the others, Korba is another character caught up in the conspiracy against the Emperor. Serving as the Emperor’s panegyrist, Korba, unlike the others, is incredibly close to the throne. A former feydakin and commander during the Battle of Arrakeen, Korba was once a staunch believer in Paul, but like many firemen, quickly became disillusioned with him following his twelve year galactic jihad.

Dev Patel

Dev Patel, who has continued his decades long rise to stardom with his incredible directorial debut, ‘Monkey Man’, could perfectly encapsulate such a nuanced persona. His roles in films like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘Skins’, and ‘Monkey Man’ showcase his talent for similarly disillusioned, frustrated, and vengeful young people.

Ramy Youssef

Ramy Youssef is another actor who could perfectly fit into the role of Korba. Given his penchant for comedy, Youssef could effortlessly capture the youthful and silly, yet vengeful spirit integral to Korba’s character.

4. Bijaz

While only briefly appearing in ‘Dune: Messiah’, Bijaz is an incredibly important figure that viewers can expect to see brought to the screen. Bijaz is a clandestine Tleilaxu Master and prescient dwarf who speaks almost exclusively in cryptic jokes and riddles. If this sounds a bit like ‘Game of Thrones’'s Tyrion, it’s because Martin was unquestionably influenced by Herbert.

Peter Dinklage

As aforementioned, given his role as Tyrion in ‘Game of Thrones’, Dinklage is perhaps the most obvious option, especially given Villeneuve’s tendency to cast A-listers. However, this feels unlikely given the character’s resemblance to Tyrion. However, Dinklage would unquestionably knock it out of the park.

Linda Hunt

Villeneuve has previously gender bent characters in his adaptations, most notably Liet Kynes, so it’s entirely possible he would do it again. Oscar winner Linda Hunt would be an excellent choice for Bijaz and this would represent a full circle moment in her career given that she portrayed Shadout Mapes in David Lynch’s ‘Dune’

Barry Keoghan

Should Villeneuve choose to visually reimagine the character, Keoghan would be an excellent option. Keoghan is no stranger to playing brooding, quirked up characters with a range of roles from ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, and ‘Saltburn’. Keoghan would certainly nail the chilling, mysterious nature of the Tleilaxu master

5. Princess Wensicia

While Princess Wensicia, the daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV and older sister of Princess Irulan doesn’t appear in Herbert’s ‘Dune: Messiah’, she is a key figure and major antagonist in the following novel, ‘Children of Dune’. However, including, or at least extending, her storyline into ‘Dune: Messiah’ seems like the most obvious way to bulk up Villeneuve’s adaptation of the second novel, given that it is by far the shortest of the six he published. Furthermore, there exists a precedent of including Wensicia in ‘Messiah’. Syfy’s sequel miniseries ‘Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune’ consolidated ‘Dune: Messiah’ and ‘Children of Dune’ into one three-part miniseries, where the plot of ‘Messiah’ served as the titular source material for the first episode in which Wensicia was heavily featured as portrayed by Susan Sarandon. Contrasting her younger sister, Wensicia’s cold, vengeful attitude makes her a formidable force in the source material. She similarly finds herself caught up in the web of conspiracies against Emperor Muad’Dib and uses her young son, Farad’n, as a pawn in her plans within plans to return the Corrino family to the throne. Furthermore, including Wensicia would allow for Villeneuve to include Emperor Shaddam IV and Lady Margot Fenring who are banished alongside Wensicia to the penal planet Selusa Secundus at the end of the first novel. Should Villeneuve choose to follow in Syfy’s footsteps, here are a few actresses I think could perfectly encapsulate her menacing persona.

Sandra Hüller

Sandra Hüller’s triumph in ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ exploded her already existing star power to new heights. Hüller’s performances in ‘Toni Erdmann’, the aforementioned ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, and perhaps most of all ‘The Zone of Interest’, prove that Hüller is beyond capable of effortlessly tackling such demanding, dark roles, making her a perfect candidate for the scheming Princess Wensicia.

Carrie Coon

While a character like Wensicia might be a little unlike her previous roles, there’s no doubt Carrie Coon wouldn’t thrive as the brooding princess. Her unbelievable performance in ‘The Leftovers’ and recent addition to the anthology series ‘White Lotus’ make her a personal frontrunner for the role.

Mia Goth

Now stay with me. This might seem like an odd pick but let’s not act like we didn’t all roll our eyes when Austin Butler was cast as Feyd-Rautha. I truly believe Mia Goth could devour a role like Wensicia. Furthermore, given that she’s much closer in age to Florence Pugh, this might help the character serve as a more concrete foil to Princess Irulan. Her erratic performances in ‘Pearl’ and ‘Infinity Pool’ prove that she can instill Wensicia with the sense of a mad woman able to turn on anyone at the drop of a coin.

6. Count Hasimir Fenring

Villeneuve unfortunately cut Count Fenring from ‘Dune: Part Two’. Fenring is the long time friend, hitman, and advisor to Emperor Shaddam IV. Fenring is said to have been groomed by the Bene Gesserit to be the Kwisatz Haderach but was crippled by a fatal flaw, his genetic impotency. Husband to Lady Margot Fenring, who Villeneuve included in the previous film, portrayed by the ineffable Lea Seydoux, Fenring develops an incredibly complicated and ambivalent relationship with Emperor Muad’Dib. Should Seydoux and Walken return, there’s a chance we may see Count Fenring as well.

Tim Blake Nelson

Tim Blake Nelson was announced to have joined the cast of ‘Dune: Part Two’ in 2023, but his role was unfortunately cut. It is widely speculated and assumed that he was set to portray the would-be kwisatz haderach Count Fenring. Should Villeneuve choose to include Count Hasimir alongside his wife, it would only make sense for Nelson to fill the role.

If you have any favorites from my list, or any other ideas, feel free to share them below :p