Dune: Part Two Features Christopher Walken as Emperor Padishah Shaddam IV: Report

Christopher Walken is said to have starred as Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV in Dune: Part Two, the sequel to filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Walken joins fellow newcomers Florence Pugh and Austin Butler in the long-awaited sequel to the Oscar-winning film.

Walken is best known for starring in hits like Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, A View to a Kill, Batman Returns, True Romance, Pulp Fiction, and Catch Me If You Can.

He recently starred in two critically acclaimed shows – Amazon Prime Video’s The Outlaws and the Apple TV+ series Severance.

Dune and Dune: Part Two are based on the Dune series of novels by author Frank Herbert.

Dune, released in October 2021, followed the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his comprehension, who must travel to Arrakis, the most dangerous planet in the universe where the future of his family and his people are at stake.

Dune: Part Two will pick up where Part One left off, with Atreides fighting alongside the Fremen to free the desert planet of Arrakis from the clutches of House Harkonnen.

Although the character does not appear in the first film, Emperor Padishah Shaddam IV is a central figure in Herbert’s novel, as he is initially responsible for dispatching Paul Atreides’ father, Leto, played by Oscar Isaac in the film, in Arrakis.

Chalamet along with her co-stars Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem return for the sequel.

Pugh and Butler recently joined the cast as Princess Irulan, the Emperor’s daughter, and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the heir apparent to the Harkonnen dynasty, respectively.

Jon Spaihts returns to co-write the screenplay with Villeneuve, who will direct and produce the sequel.

Dune: Part Two is set to begin production later this year and has a release date of October 20, 2023.

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