While he was once known for the likes of ‘The Hangover’ movies and ‘Scary Movie’ franchise, writer/producer/director Craig Mazin is more famous these days as the creator of hit HBO series ‘Chernobyl’ and, more recently, for developing and co-showrunning the company’s successful adaptation of video game sensation ‘The Last of Us’.
Yet despite his busy TV schedule (he’s also consulted on Apple TV+ comedy ‘Mystic Quest’ in the past), movies are not completely out of his work sphere under certain conditions.
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Anna Torv in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
“I’m out of the movie business, basically. I’ll work with certain directors when they call because I love them and because they’re so brilliant, so if, like, Denis Villeneuve calls, then absolutely. I’m there for, three-four weeks, a month, to work on what you’re working on. Anytime Denis makes a movie, you should be excited. He is as kind as he is brilliant. He is a rare one, he’s just remarkable.”
And here’s Mazin talking about the credit he’s receiving on the new movie:
“I am a participating writer in Dune: Part Two’ “I came in and did a little bit of work… It used to be that you couldn’t even say that, but now they have this additional ‘literary material thing at the end, so I am ‘Additional Literary Material’.”
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What is ‘Additional Literary Material’?
The ALM credit was introduced in 2022, ensuring writers who have rendered WGA-covered writing services on theatrical features (but cannot claim authorship) receive acknowledgement for their contributions.
So, if a writer helps to polish a script, but doesn’t meet the criteria to receive full credit, this description kicks in.
Mazin happens to be a vocal member of the Writers Guild of America and is currently on strike (the ‘Dune’ work was completed before the strike began) and also co-hosts a podcast on screenwriting called ‘Scriptnotes’.
What’s the story for ‘Dune: Part Two’
The new ‘Dune’ movie picks up where the first one left off, adapting the remainder of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel. ‘Dune: Part Two’, with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) fleeing into the desert following the devastating attack on the Atreides base by Harkonnen and Imperial forces. Paul is destined to rise as a spiritual and military leader of the native Fremen and lead an attack against the Harkonnen and the scheming Emperor.
Alongside Chalamet and Ferguson, we’ll see the return of Josh Brolin (who plays Atreides war master Gurney Halleck, another survivor of the attack) and Stellan Skarsgård, along with Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, AKA “The Beast”.
On the Fremen side, we’ll get to properly meet Zendaya’s Chani, a Fremen warrior who haunted Paul’s dreams and visions long before he ever met her, and who is destined to become the great love of his life. And Javier Bardem’s Stilgar, leader of the Fremen people, who will work with Paul to attack the Harkonnen.
On the Harkonnen side, there is the cunning, weapon happy Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, played by ‘Elvis’ Austin Butler. From the looks of the character, Villeneuve and his team are aiming to have this Feyd be as distinctive as the metal-jockstrap version played by Sting in David Lynch’s movie.
‘Dune: Part Two’ will be in theaters on November 3rd.
Awards season got on a plane and headed to London on Sunday for the 2023 British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, which recognised achievement in film during 2022.
And given how competitive the awards race has been this year, it was another surprising night, as war drama ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ –– already a favorite with 14 nominations –– went home with seven trophies.
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What did ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ win at the BAFTAs?
The movie, adapted from Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel by director Edward Berger and writers Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson was the big winner on the night, taking home Best Film, Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Not In The English Language, cinematography, score, sound.
It was all the more impressive, since ‘Western Front’ split its wins between technical trophies and some of the bigger categories, while most of its competition won either acting or technical awards. “For a German-language film, we’ve been blessed with so many nominations, and winning this is just incredible,” said producer Malte Grunert on stage while picking up Best Film.
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What other movies won trophies at the BAFTAs?
The runner up in sheer awards haul was Martin McDonagh’s ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, which landed acting kudos for Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon, a Best Screenplay award for McDonagh and Outstanding British Film, which led its director to crack, “I know that every Irish person in the cast and crew is saying, ‘Best what award?’” (the film was partly financed by the UK’s Film4).
‘Elvis’, a little like ‘All Quiet,’ also crossed between the main and technical awards: Austin Butler beat out the likes of Brendan Fraser for Best Actor, while some of its crew won in categories such as Costume Design and Make-Up And Hair.
Of the more expected winners, Cate Blanchett took home her latest statuette for playing a driven, problematic conductor in ‘TÁR’, while ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ added another animation award to its crammed trophy case.
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell –Winner
‘Living’, Kazuo Ishiguro
‘The Quiet Girl’ – Colm Bairéad
‘She Said’ – Rebecca Lenkiewicz
‘The Whale’ – Samuel D. Hunter
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, Paul Rogers – Winner
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, Sven Budelmann
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
‘Elvis’, Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa
‘Top Gun: Maverick’, Eddie Hamilton
Michelle Yeoh in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of A24.
ORIGINAL SCORE
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, Volker Bertelsmann – Winner
‘Babylon’, Justin Hurwitz
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, Carter Burwell
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, Son Lux
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’, Alexandre Desplat
PRODUCTION DESIGN
‘Babylon’, Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino – Winner
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, Christian M. Goldbrick, Ernestine Hipper
‘The Batman’, James Chinlund, Lee Sandales
‘Elvis’, Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’, Curt Enderle, Guy Davis
‘Elvis’, Jason Baird, Mark Coulier, Louise Coulstron, Shane Thomas – Winner
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, Heike Marker
‘The Batman’, Naomie Donne, Mike Marino, Zoe Tahir
‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical’, Naomie Donne, Barrie Gower, Sharon Martin
‘The Whale’, Anne Marie Bradley, Judy Chin, Adrien Morot
SOUND
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ – Winner
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
‘Elvis’
‘TÁR’
‘Top Gun: Maverick’
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ – Winner
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘The Batman’
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
‘Top Gun: Maverick’
CASTING
‘Elvis’, Nikki Barrett, Denise Chadian – Winner
‘Aftersun’, Lucy Pardee
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, Simone Bär
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, Sarah Halley Finn
‘Triangle of Sadness’, Pauline Hansson
Presley was born in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1968. She grew up living in her father’s Graceland estate until the age of four, when her parents separated. Presley moved with her mother to Los Angeles, California. Even though her parents were separated, she continued to see both, splitting time between both Los Angeles and Memphis. When she was 9, Presley’s father died of an apparent heart failure associated with prescription drug abuse.
Her early life was, despite the seeming advantages of her parents, not an easy one, and Presley struggled with addiction. At 17, Presley was sent to Scientology’s Celebrity Center rehab facility. There, Presley met musician Danny Keough. Presley and Keough married on October 3, 1988. and had two children, actress Riley Keough and a son named Benjamin, who died of apparent suicide in 2020.
Presley and Keough divorced in 1994. Only 20 days after her divorce to Keough was finalized, Presley married superstar Michael Jackson, who reportedly proposed over the phone after only four months of dating. Their relationship was short-lived, however, and Presley filed for divorce from Jackson in January of 1996. In 2000, while engaged to musician John Oszajca, she met Nicolas Cage. She soon broke off the engagement to Oszajca to date Cage. The couple married soon after in Hawaii on August 10, 2002 but divorced a mere 108 days later.
On January 22, 2006, Presley married for the fourth time, this time to guitarist, producer and director Michael Lockwood. The couple welcomed fraternal twins, Harper and Finley, on October 7, 2008. In 2016, Presley filed for divorce from Lockwood.
(L to R) Priscilla Presley, Riley Keough, and Lisa Marie Presley, at ‘Elvis’ Memphis event 6/11/22.
She inherited her father’s mansion, Graceland. And after the death of her father, grandfather and great-grandmother, she became sole owner of Presley’s entire estate when she turned 25. She sold 85% of the estate, which had an estimated value of $100 million when she inherited it, in 2005 to Industrial Media, but kept control of Graceland.
Following in her father’s footsteps, she forged a career as a singer, releasing several albums, including “To Whom It May Concern”, “Now What” and “Storm & Grace,” and enjoyed some success.
Priscilla Presley issued a statement after her daughter’s death. “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Presley said. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”
Rita Wilson, who met Lisa Marie after husband Tom Hanks worked on ‘Elvis’, took to Instagram to remember her. “Our hearts are broken with the sudden and shocking passing of Lisa Marie Presley tonight. Tom and I had spent some time with the family during the ‘Elvis’ movie promotional tour. Lisa Marie was so honest and direct, vulnerable, in a state of anticipation about the movie,” Wilson wrote. “She spoke so eloquently about her father, what the movie meant to her, that it was a celebration of her dad. She had her gorgeous daughters Finley and Harper with her who made us all laugh. She privately showed us her home, Graceland, and she made it feel like home to us. She was so gracious to us, Austin, Baz, and guests. If you haven’t heard her music please go listen. She had a sultry voice, a power and tenderness, that I have always loved.”
She is survived by her mother, Priscilla Presley, her three daughters and a half-brother, Navarone Garibaldi.
Lisa Marie Presley at the TCL Chinese Theatres hand & foot event 6/21/22. Photo: Eric Charbonneau.
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The result is a true masterpiece of a movie, that is not without its faults, but thanks to the astounding Austin Butler, features one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen on screen!
The film is narrated by Hanks’ Colonel Tom Parker, on his death bed as he recounts how he discovered Elvis Presley (Butler). The film then flashes back to the 1940’s when Elvis was a child discovering Gospel and Blues music, and eventually to how he and Parker first met in the early 50’s. Parker, a carnival conman at his core, instantly recognizes the cash cow that Presley will become and after impressing his parents, becomes Elvis’ new manager. The singer quickly becomes a sensation but is accused of deviant behavior because he wiggles his hips while he sings.
To change the course of his career, Parker orchestrates Elvis joining the Army, where he meets a young Priscilla (DeJonge) while overseas. After his stint in the Army, they quickly fall in love and marry, while Elvis returns to making movies. But Parker is unwilling to allow Elvis to stretch his acting chops, and eventually his films and music stop being popular after The Beatles invade America in the early 60’s. With an ever-changing entertainment landscape, and against the wishes of Parker, Presley begins to design his 1968 Comeback Special, that would put him back on top.
Wanting to go on an international tour, Parker, who is not really Tom Parker, has no actual passport and fears losing his star, tricks Elvis into taking a lengthy Las Vegas residency. With his increasing drug habit, carrying of loaded firearms, and an overall unhealthy lifestyle, Elvis finds his life and career at a crossroad in the mid-70’s as friction between him, Parker, and Priscilla, threaten his marriage, career, and ultimately his own life.
I cannot overstate enough how mind-blowingly incredible Austin Butler’s performance as Elvis Presley was. He literally is Elvis! I almost forgot entirely that I was watching an actor give a performance and not “The King“ himself. Butler’s performance transcends any small issues the movie might have, and absolutely makes the film worth watching. This is a career-making performance for Butler, not unlike Jennifer Hudson in ‘Dreamgirls.’
A few years ago, Rami Malek won an Academy Award for playing Freddy Mercury in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ and he didn’t even sing his own songs, not to mention the film was mediocre at best. A year later Taron Egerton was snubbed for an Oscar nomination for his far superior performance as Elton John in ‘Rocketman,’ which is actually a very good movie where Egerton did sing his own songs.
I hope that Austin Butler is not forgotten about at the end of the year because if anyone deserves an Academy Award for a particular performance it’s him for this one. Plus, Butler does sing all the music in the film and sounds exactly like Presley! If for some reason the Academy does not at least nominate Butler, then I recommend Malek do the right thing and just hand his Oscar over to him ASAP.
Director Baz Luhrmann was certainly the right director to bring this story to the big screen, and the direction, the production design, the music, the editing, the cinematography is all top notch. While Luhrmann may receive some criticism for mixing the soundtrack with music of the time and today’s hip hop, I thought it worked very well and gave the movie a contemporary feel.
I did question at first Luhrmann’s choice to use an unreliable narrator in Colonel Tom Parker, who tells the story really as if he was the star and not Elvis. It threw me at first and then I realized that this a person who had been taking credit for Elvis his whole life, so why should the biopic be any different? It actually works by the movie’s end.
I have to say, I wasn’t sure at first if I hated Tom Hanks’ performance, or if I just hated Tom Parker. I now realize that it was the later, and that is quite an accomplishment for the most likable man in Hollywood to pull off playing one of the most despicable human beings to ever live. I can’t say Hanks’ performance does much to humanize Parker, but then again, I’m not sure how much humanity was in the man to begin with.
However, the film is not without its faults, as it is a fairly sanitized version of Elvis’ life. Yes, the movie does touch on his codependent relationship with his mother, his drug use, his love for guns, and his womanizing, but none of those subjects are truly explored in a meaningful way. Even his relationship with Priscilla is shown in a different light than the truth, as the movie never makes mention of the fact that she was only 14-years-old when she started dating Elvis.
But the film does tackle one of Presley’s biggest criticisms, which is that he culturally appropriated his music. The movie’s answer to that criticism is that Elvis did not maliciously do this, he just grew up in an area where that music was popular and truly fell in love with Gospel and the Blues. It also depicts the reaction from that community at the time, which was not of anger, but of pride that their music was finally being heard by the entire world, regardless of who was singing it. That may or may not be accurate, but kudos to the filmmakers for not ignoring that controversy.
The core of the movie really focuses on the relationship between Elvis and Parker, which was an interesting choice, but I guess I just feel like Parker doesn’t deserve that much credit. It would have been nice to focus a little more on Elvis, his relationship with Priscilla, and his eventual downfall.
While her part is somewhat small, Olivia DeJonge is absolutely lovely as Priscilla and you really feel how genuinely she loves Elvis, and how painful it was for her to watch his ultimate spiral out of control. The movie is also filled with excellent supporting performances from Kelvin Harrison Jr., Alton Mason, and Yola Quartey as legendary musicians B.B. King, Little Richard, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, respectively.
But in the end, this movie really belongs to Austin Butler and his truly amazing performance as Elvis Presley. The movie, the music, and Butler’s performance will make you fall in love with Presley all over again and is a fitting tribute to “The King.”
(L to R) Léa Seydoux and Viggo Mortensen in David Cronenberg’s ‘Crimes of the Future.’ Photo courtesy of Neon.
‘Dune: Part 2’ is still one of the most anticipated movies, following the huge success of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic of last year. He’s preparing to adapt the second half of Frank Herbert’s weighty tome and is adding more and more new cast members as he heads towards a potential summer shoot in Budapest.
The latest name to join the sprawling ensemble is Léa Seydoux, who will play a character called Lady Margot.
To use her full title, Lady Margot Fenring is the Bene Gesserit wife of the Mentat Count Hasimir Fenring, who leads House Fenring. Though considered a “minor” House (not as powerful or in control of a planet as, say, House Harkonnen), it is allied to House Corrino the Emperor’s House.
While Margot is a loyal member of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, helping to guide the bloodlines of powerful families, Margot and her husband dedicated themselves to serving their own ends after the order became much less influential later in the story.
The first ‘Dune’ movie delved into the huge universe of Herbert’s book (the start of a series) that chronicles warring houses vying for power and control of a planet called Arrakis, AKA Dune. The source of a “spice” that is valuable for space travel, it’s a rich prize and one that that Emperor used to entrap House Atreides (led by Oscar Isaac’s ill-fated) Duke Leto.
Timothée Chalamet in Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune.’
Working with the evil House Harkonnen, the Emperor attacked the Atreides once they’d landed on the planet and slaughtered much of the family and their forces.
‘Dune: Part Two’ continues the story of Leto’s son and heir Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) as they regroup and earn the trust of the native Fremen (including leader Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem) and warrior Chani (Zendaya). They’ll survive while plotting a reprisal, as Paul becomes a spiritual and military leader among the Fremen.
The new movie already boasts the likes of fellow new recruits Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam, who essentially rules the galaxy of the story, Florence Pugh, playing the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Irulan and ‘Elvis’ star Austin Butler, who will take the role of Feyd-Rautha, the cunning nephew of the pitiless baron who heads House Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), and who is being groomed to rule Arrakis.
Returning cast for ‘Part Two’ – which Villeneuve again co-wrote alongside Jon Spaihts – also includes Josh Brolin as loyal Atreides military man Gurney Halleck, who survives the attack.
Villeneuve’s movie racked up 10 Oscar nominations this year, and won six of them, including Editing, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture. While there was surprise that the director didn’t feature in his own category, there’s already chatter that if ‘Part Two’ turns out as well as the first, it’ll be a major player come awards season 2024.
‘Dune: Part Two’ is currently aiming for an October 20th, 2023 release date.
The film stars Austin Butler (‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’) as the title character and chronicles his early days to his success as a musician and movie star, as well as his complex relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Austin Butler about his work on ‘Elvis.’
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You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above and watch our interviews with Butler, director by Baz Luhrmann, Olivia DeJonge, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Alton Mason, and Yola Quartey.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first meeting with director Baz Luhrmann and the discussions you had about how you wanted to approach playing this role?
Austin Butler: From our very first-time meeting, it was clear to me Baz’s work ethic and his commitment to finding the truth. The first time we met, I’d already been working on it for about a month at this point, just because I knew I was going to be meeting with him eventually.
So, we met and we both just clicked because we were both so fascinated with the fact that behind this icon, or the caricature of Elvis that has been held up in certain people’s minds to an almost godlike status, is this man who came from nothing, and who grew up in one of the few white houses in a Black neighborhood, and the fact that we don’t have Elvis without Black music.
Him growing up in gospel tents, down on Beale Street and juke joints, and the inspiration and love that he had for everything that he was soaking in as a young child. There’re so many things about him that have been misconstrued.
So, for me, I knew that I was interested in who is Elvis when nobody’s looking? Behind this person that everybody thinks they know, who is he in an empty room when he wakes up in the morning, or when he goes to bed at night, or when he’s brushing his teeth? Those little things, that’s what I was really fascinated by. Where’s the humanity of him?
MF: Finally, can you talk about developing Elvis’ specific walk, talk and look for the movie?
AB: I had a year and a half before we started shooting where I didn’t do anything else. I just followed my curiosity, really. I watched every frame of footage that is available. I watched every documentary and read every book on his life and listened to every interview he ever gave. You do all that and then you feel kind of like a detective where you’re just asking “why” the whole time.
Why does he touch his face in that way? Why did he make that decision? Why this, why that? Eventually it starts going from this objective process to it being subjective, where you’re feeling it and seeing it through his eyes. So, it’s sort of like seeing a blurry picture that is slowly coming into clarity. I also, I got to say, I had an incredible group of people around me.
So, my movement coach, Polly Bennett, who also worked with many other members of the cast, but she was really vital in my process. My dialect coaches, my singing coaches, karate instructor. I had so many things that I did. I went to Nashville and Memphis with Baz and recorded gospel singers in these tiny churches and felt the spirit of the music, because all of Elvis’s movement came from him being moved by music.
So, it was never about choreographing anything. But here’s the tricky thing, is you want to be incredibly specific. So, you’re going back and forth between never losing the feeling that you get when you’re in a gospel church and you feel the rapture of music, but yet being able to then be incredibly specific with a moment that you’re trying to recreate identically. So, that was my long-winded way of describing to you some of the process.
Austin Butler plays Elvis Presley in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Elvis.’
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Elvis Presley might these days be more the butt of jokes about his older, heavier, sparklier days, but when he was young, hungry, and just getting his start, you could already sense the power.
For his new movie, Baz Luhrmann is looking to chronicle a hefty chunk of Presley’s life, but this new trailer for what is simply called ‘Elvis’, focuses more on his earlier years, when the stuffy authorities were horrified at the hip-swiveling musical wonder who sent girls wild with his lip-curling style.
Austin Butler, who has appeared in movies such as ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, here plays Elvis, and the film explores the life and music of Presley seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).
Elvis is not the only iconic musician to show up here, either, as in his life and career, he crossed paths with a swathe of others. Singer/songwriter Yola plays Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason takes on the role of Little Richard, while Gary Clark Jr. is Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh plays Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. Luhrmann wrote the movie with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner.
Luhrmann, of course, is no stranger to musical movies, having brought the likes of ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘Strictly Ballroom’ to life, while the stylish period dramas on his resume include ‘Australia’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’. And ‘Elvis’ certainly offers the opportunity to combine both classic tunes and costumes.
It has been nine years since Lurhmann was behind the camera for a movie – he did make Netflix’s hip-hop drama ‘The Get Down’ in the meantime and has worked on various commercials, but it’s good to see him return to theaters. Butler, meanwhile, has shown promise in his other roles and Hanks is, of course, always a reliable performer, even if we’re wondering about his accent work this time. But from the evidence of this, ‘Elvis’ could be a winner from Luhrmann.
‘Elvis’ will be gyrating on to screens on June 24th.
Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’ Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.
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Though it had to deal with arriving on HBO Max the same day as theaters, Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ still managed to become a big success, earning $41 million on its opening weekend ahead of taking in more than $400 million at the worldwide box office.
And since the first movie only told half of the story from Frank Herbert’s book, there was widespread relief when ‘Part Two’ was quickly announced. Casting is underway for the new movie, with the latest news that Christopher Walken will be playing Emperor Shaddam IV.
In the book, Shaddam is the Padishah Emperor of the Corrino Empire, which for those unfamiliar with Herbert’s weighty tomes, essentially means he rules the known universe.
He’s never glimpsed in the first movie, instead sending messengers to carry out his bidding. But it’s Shaddam who, concerned that House Atreides (led by Oscar Isaac’s Duke Leto) is becoming too powerful, hatches a plan to have the family take over stewardship of the planet Arrakis (AKA Dune).
That, in turn is a crafty scheme to betray them, the Emperor conspiring with the cruel House Harkonnen to launch an assault on the Atreides shortly after they arrive on the unforgiving desert planet. The result leaves Leto and many of his family and forces dead, and son/heir/prophesised mystical saviour Paul (Timothée Chalamet) fleeing into the harsh sands of Dune.
Timothée Chalamet in 2021’s ‘Dune.’
‘Dune: Part Two’ continues the story of Paul and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) as they regroup and earn the trust of the native Fremen (including leader Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem) and warrior Chani (Zendaya). They’ll survive while plotting a reprisal, as Paul becomes a spiritual and military leader among the Fremen.
Walken’s casting is certainly interesting – he’s known for his distinct delivery, and certainly has the air of someone who could lead a massive Empire while also coming across as mysterious.
He’s one of the key components for the new movie, which has already added Florence Pugh, playing the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Irulan and ‘Elvis’ star Austin Butler, who will take the role of Feyd-Rautha, the cunning nephew of the pitiless baron who heads House Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), and who is being groomed to rule Arrakis.
Returning cast for ‘Part Two’ – which Villeneuve again co-wrote alongside Jon Spaihts – also includes Josh Brolin as loyal Atreides military man Gurney Halleck, who survives the attack.
Villeneuve’s movie racked up 10 Oscar nominations this year, and won six of them, including Editing, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture. While there was surprise that the director didn’t feature in his own category, there’s already chatter that if ‘Part Two’ turns out as well as the first, it’ll be a major player come awards season 2024.
‘Dune: Part Two’ will start filming this summer in Budapest, and is currently aiming for an October 20th, 2023 release date.
With production penciled in for later this year, it’s clear that ‘Dune’ director Denis Villeneuve is busy building the additional cast he needs for ‘Part Two’.
If the character’s name has you scratching your head, especially since he didn’t appear in the first ‘Dune’ movie, fear not.
Created by author Frank Herbert for the original ‘Dune’ novel, Feyd-Rautha is the younger nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen of House Harkonnen (played in the first movie by Stellan Skarsgard). He’s nominated by the Baron as the “Na-Baron” – heir to House Harkonnen.
The Baron favors the young Feyd-Rautha over Feyd’s older brother “The Beast” Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista in the movie). Feyd is both intelligent and charismatic and is dedicated to the Harkonnen culture of sadism and cruelty, though potentially only due to his upbringing.
Though Villeneuve and co-writer Jon Spaihts had considered including the character in the first movie, they’ve deemed it more useful to shift him to the second, since he’ll be a big part of causing more trouble for Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet, who will return for the new movie).
Sting in ‘Dune’ (1984)
Like Paul, Feyd was also part of the complex, politically savvy genetic breeding program run by the mysterious Bene Gesserit order of powerful women.
We’re sure the Beast won’t be too happy with the younger whippersnapper coming in.
And if you are aware of him, it’s likely you’re either a big fan of the book, or you recall Sting’s leather/rubber getup from when he played the part in David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation.
We can’t speak to whether there will be more oiled up action going on here, but Villeneuve’s take on the Harkonnen hasn’t shied away from either rubber costumes or characters submerged in liquid. So, you never know!
‘Dune: Part Two’ continues the story of Paul and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) as they regroup from the devastating attack on the Atreides base on Arrakis (the planet also known as Dune) by Harkonnen and Imperial forces.
Fleeing into the harsh Arrakis desert along with the native Fremen (including leader Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem) and warrior Chani (Zendaya), they’ll survive while plotting a reprisal, as Paul becomes a spiritual and military leader among the Fremen.
Skarsgard and Josh Brolin (as Atreides weapons master Gurney Halleck) are both expected to return alongside their fellow first movie cast mates.
Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’ Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.
This would mark the latest big role for Butler, who had been acting for a few years before broke out in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’. He’s since scored the prime lead part of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’, which will cover large chunks of the musical icons career, the political figure with which he came into contact and his complicated relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
‘Elvis’ will be in theaters on June 24. ‘Dune: Part Two’ is currently set for release on October 20 next year.
Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’ Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.
It’s been nine years since writer/director Baz Lurhmann had a film in theaters. Not to say he’s been sitting around doing nothing; he oversaw Netflix series ‘The Get Down’ and worked on several commercials. It’s good to see, though, that he’s headed back to the big screen with ‘Elvis’, which has its first full trailer out in the world.
As you might predict from the title, the film charts the life of the musical icon, who burst on to the scene in the 1950s and became one of the most famous people in the world.
Austin Butler, who has appeared in movies such as ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, here plays Elvis Presley, and the film explores his life and music seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).
Elvis is not the only iconic musician to show up here, either, as in his life and career, he crossed paths with a swathe of others. Singer/songwriter Yola plays Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason takes on the role of Little Richard, while Gary Clark Jr. is Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh plays Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. Luhrmann wrote the movie with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner.
Elvis Presley is a tricky subject to bring to life; he’s one of the most recognizable people in the world, even to an audience that didn’t grow up listening to his music, and his story has a tragic ending. There are also all the political and world-changing events to encompass while finding a way into the complex relationship between Parker and his star client. Of course, it helps to have Tom Hanks in the cast, and he’s throwing his all into the role.
Luhrmann’s film has taken longer than anticipated to arrive, partly because of the huge undertaking, but also because it was one of the movies seriously affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, forced to shut down when Hanks and others contracted the virus.
It’ll finally head to theaters on June 24.
If you want to know more about the movie, Luhrmann and his leading man participated in a video Q&A on twitter to help launch the trailer, and you can find that below.
