‘Dune’ Star Javier Bardem Will Be “Angry” if He’s Left Out of ‘Dune 3’

Javier Bardem, the Academy Award-winning star who has given life to Fremen leader Stilgar in Dune and Dune: Part Two, doesn’t actually know if his character will be back in the third part of the franchise. Dune: Messiah is now being written by returning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, but it sounds like Bardem is just as in the dark about what the movie will involve as we all are. Bardem is a very busy man at the moment, delivering a riveting performance in the Netflix series about the Menendez brothers case, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and his new animated musical film, Spellbound, has just been released by the streamer. The actor spoke to Variety about his future projects, and provided a surprising update about his not-so-potential participation in Dune: Messiah:

“I know that I’m in the book, so I should be in the script. If I’m not, I will be very angry and I will let him know. I will go to Canada.”

The No Country For Old Men and Being the Ricardos star is, of course, poking fun at the situation, bringing to mind the comic relief his character Stilgar often provides in Dune: Part Two. Audiences everywhere couldn’t help but crack up whenever Stilgar had an epiphany of some sort or saw Paul Atreides as the messiah and spewed out “Lisan al-Gaib!” every chance he had. Nevertheless, he’s one of the most important characters of the franchise, showing viewers the most orthodox side of the Fremen tribe. This is what Bardem really meant about the uncertainty of his character in Dune: Messiah, and trusting Villeneuve more than anything:

“Seriously though, I totally love him. I adore him. Whatever he wants, and whatever he decides, it will be fine for me. Absolutely. He’s one of a kind. He’s an extraordinary human being. Such a loving man, fun, funny as hell, and a real worker.”

Here’s What We Know About ‘Dune: Messiah’ So Far

Paul’s story in Messiah is likely to take a darker turn, suggesting things will change for the character and his relationship with the Fremen. Removing Stilgar from the picture would be disappointing, but it’s currently too early for theories. All we have is Villeneuve’s capacity to impress, as he already did with two previous solid entries. All we can do is trust him, and put Stilgar’s fate in his hands. However, Bardem does have one request if he gets to come back as Stilgar, and it’s something his son wants to see:

“When he saw
Dune 2
, he stood up in the theater and said, ‘That’s my dad.’ But then at the end, he said, ‘But you haven’t had any sword fighting.’ So now I have another demand for Denis Villeneuve. If there is such a thing as
Dune: Messiah
, please give me just a little sword fighting so that I can show it to my kid.”

So far, all we know of Dune 3 is that Paul’s story will follow the events of Frank Herbert’s sequel to his book, “Dune: Messiah.” The novel is set 12 years after the events of the first book, so expect to see some big changes when the sci-fi saga does return. In the meantime, Bardem isn’t slowing down. He has just signed up to star as Max Cady in the Apple TV+ adaptation of Cape Fear, which is set to be directed by Nick Antosca, and executive produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. The actor will also have a pretty important role in Joseph Kosinski’s F1, which will be released in June 2025.

Release Date

February 27, 2024

Cast

Timothée Chalamet , Zendaya , Rebecca Ferguson , Javier Bardem , Josh Brolin , Austin Butler , Florence Pugh , Dave Bautista , Christopher Walken , Lea Seydoux , Stellan Skarsgård , Charlotte Rampling , Souheila Yacoub , Roger Yuan , Babs Olusanmokun , Giusi Merli , Kait Tenison , Tara Breathnach , Akiko Hitomi , Imola Gáspár , Elbooz Omar Ahmed Fathie , Abdelkarim Hussein Seli Mohamed Hassanin , Joseph Beddelem , Xavier Alba Royo , Rachid Abbad

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