Who is Robert Pattinson rumoured to play in Dune 3?
Reports suggest that Pattinson will become the latest big name to join Denis Villeneuve on Arrakis.
Denis Villeneuve's first two Dune movies were not exactly short when it came to A-list acting talent.
Led by two-time Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, the sci-fi epics also counted the likes of Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgaard, Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and – however briefly – Anya-Taylor Joy among their glittering casts.
The now confirmed third film, Dune: Messiah, is expected to feature a slightly less sprawling ensemble, but that doesn't mean there won't be some big names joining the fun – and one of those heavily rumoured for a role is Robert Pattinson.
Fresh from his turn in Bong Joon-ho's Mickey 17, the star is reportedly being eyed up to play a villain in the film, although nothing has been confirmed at this stage and it appears that no official offer has been made just yet.
But if he does end up in the film who would he be playing? Read on for everything we know so far.
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Who is Robert Pattinson rumoured to play in Dune 3?
Early reports suggest that the role Pattinson is set to play is that of Scytale, the main antagonist in Frank Herbert's novel Dune Messiah, on which the third film is based.
In the book, Scytale is a shapeshifting Face Dancer of the genetic manipulators the Bene Tleilax – a race you might recognise from last year's TV series Dune: Propechy.
He is presented as a cunning and manipulative figure who poses a major threat to Paul Atreidis, wrangling his way into his inner circle under false pretences before setting in motion a major conspiracy designed to dethrone him.
It certainly seems to be a role well suited to the talents of Pattinson – who has shown a great appetitive for taking on complex and often unusual roles in the years since he first shot to global stardom in the Twilight movies.
When we hear any confirmation about Pattinson's involvement in Dune: Messiah, we'll update this page accordingly.
Dune Messiah is currently slated to arrive in cinemas on 18th December 2026.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
