Denis Villeneuve One of the greatest living filmmakers – IndieWire
Dune: Part II won’t hit theaters until 2024 due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, but Austin Butler is already making it clear how he feels about Denis Villeneuve.
In a new conversation with his Dune co-star Josh Brolin for Interview magazine (which took place before the strike), Butler praised the Arrival director after working with him on the Arrakis sequel.
“Denis is one of the greatest filmmakers in the world, so the idea of working with him and then with you and the entire cast was so exciting for me,” Butler said. “The thing with Denis is that you give an idea, and then his thoughts start to percolate, and then he comes back with ten more, and then you feed off each other’s fantasy.”
With his role as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Butler joins the star-studded “Dune” cast, which includes new additions Christopher Walken and Florence Pugh as well as returning stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and Dave Bautista.
The highly anticipated blockbuster sequel will conclude the story of Frank Herbert’s original Dune book, but Villeneuve recently teased that he hopes to make a third film based on the second Dune Messiah novel.
“If I manage to do a trilogy, that would be the dream,” Villeneuve said. “’Dune Messiah’ was written in response to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero. That’s not what he wanted to do. My adaptation is closer to his idea that it is actually a warning.”
Villeneuve isn’t the only current employee Butler had kind words for. He also praised Tom Hardy, his co-star in Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders,” for his professionalism and cheerful attitude on set.
“I pictured him as a grizzly bear who was always serious,” Butler said of Hardy. “And really, he’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. He joked until action was necessary and then became the most intense guy I’d ever seen. It reminds me of the stories I’ve heard about [Marlon] Brando talks to the cameraman until it starts.”
“Dune: Part Two” is currently scheduled to hit theaters on March 15, 2024.