Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve cast Austin Butler (Elvis) to play Feyd-Rautha in his sequel. Sting previously played the role in David Lynch's past film adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel.
Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, Villeneuve broke down his decision to bring in Feyd-Rautha in the second film. He revealed that he wanted Part One to follow Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) perspective. This gave Feyd a bigger spotlight in the second film.
When it came to casting Butler, Villeneuve was sold thanks to his Elvis performance. He was “blown away” by the Oscar-nominated performance.
“To portray such an icon as The King and be able to disappear into the character — I needed that kind of actor. Feyd needed to be that kind of charismatic figure with a strong sex appeal. And I knew Austin had that,” he revealed. “Did I know that Austin would be able to go that dark? I was wishing. But when we started to do the first camera tests, it was an explosion of joy for me because it was beyond my expectations.”
While the Police's Sting previously played Feyd-Rautha in David Lynch's adaptation, Alejandro Jodorowsky allegedly wanted the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger for the part. Now, the actor who played Elvis in a biopic gets to play the part. Villeneuve discussed this, revealing he got Jagger vibes from Butler's performance.
“There’s something there, it’s true. Watching Austin as Feyd, I kept saying to myself, ‘He makes me think of Mick Jagger. He has that swagger and arrogance. When he walks in the room, all the attention turns around him,'” Villeneuve confessed. “I had forgotten that Jodorowsky’s plan was to cast Mick Jagger. That would have been a very interesting choice,”
Dune 2
Dune 2 is the follow-up to Denis Villeneuve's 2021 film, Dune. The two films adapt Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel of the same name. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, and Josh Brolin lead both films. Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, and Léa Seydoux make their franchise debuts in the sequel.
Austin Butler first gained notoriety for his role in Zoey 101. He would also star in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Life Unexpected. Currently, he can be seen in Apple TV+'s Masters of the Air with Callum Turner and Barry Keoghan. He will also star in The Bikeriders later this year for Focus Features along with Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy.