Major star confirms secret Dune 2 role following internet rumours

Anya Taylor-Joy had long been rumoured to join the likes of Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in the cast

Anya Taylor-Joy has confirmed her place in the cast of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two.

The star had long been rumoured to join the star-studded ensemble, which includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler and Florence Pugh.

Taylor-Joy confirmed the news in an interview on studio Warner Bros’ TikTok account. “This is a dream come true,” she said. “The books are incredible, but with this cast and with Denis, it doesn’t get any better than that.”

The actor added that the film is “one of the best movies I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Genuinely, Denis has killed it.”

Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux and Souheila Yacoub are also in the film, joining Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling and Javier Bardem who all return from the first instalment.

Dune: Part Two is set to arrive in cinemas on 1 March.

Anya Taylor-Joy attends the BAFTAs in 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

The film’s much-anticipated arrival comes after it was delayed by several months by last year’s Hollywood strikes.

Earlier this month, Villeneuve shared his thoughts on a third Dune film.

The 56-year-old filmmaker had previously expressed interest in making a third Dune movie based on Frank Herbert’s follow-up novel, Dune Messiah.

Warner Bros has not yet confirmed Dune 3, but Villeneuve has said that if it happens it would be his final instalment in the franchise.

“Dune Messiah should be the last Dune movie for me,” Villeneuve confirmed to Time magazine.

The director said last December that Dune Messiah is “being written right now”, adding: “The screenplay is almost finished but it is not finished. It will take a little time… There’s a dream of making a third movie… it would make absolute sense to me.”

Villeneuve has described Part Two as “an epic war movie” and “much more dense” than the first.

“Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family,” the film’s official logline reads.

“Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavours to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.”

The first film was released in cinemas across the world in October 2021 and raked in $40.1m in ticket sales in its opening weekend in North America, making this the best domestic opening for any of Warner Bros’s hybrid releases ever.