Dave Bautista has described getting the call from Denis Villeneuve for his Dune role as a “monumental moment” in his career, because the director didn’t originally want him for Blade Runner 2049.
Bautista is reuniting with Villeneuve on Dune, having previously played rogue replicant Sapper Morton for the director in his lavish sci-fi sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1980s classic.
In the new take on Dune, he will portray the violent Rabban Harkonnen, known as “The Beast Rabban” for his aggressive nature – a role played by frequent Hollywood bad guy Paul L. Smith in David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel.
SEE ALSO: Watch the red-band trailer for Stuber
When Bautista spoke to Flickering Myth in early June to promote his new film Stuber, he was about to start shooting the movie in Budapest and said he was “looking forward” to the job.
He added: “I have to say that getting the call from [Villeneuve], asking me personally to do this part was a monumental moment in my career. I was floored that he actually called me.
“When I first met him for Blade Runner 2049, he did not want me to play Sapper Morton. He was not interested in me for that part. I really had to win him over and so, to have him call me and say he had been thinking about me since that film and wanted to personally offer me this role, that to me felt like I had really earned some respect.”
Dune is currently expected to be split into two parts, with the first due to arrive in cinemas in November 2020.
Bautista will be part of a glittering ensemble cast, including Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides. Also attached to star are Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, Zendaya and Charlotte Rampling.
SEE ALSO: Read our ★ ★ ★ ★ review of Stuber
Filming began in Budapest in March and is also set to visit Jordan in order to construct the desert locations of the interstellar story.
In his full interview with Flickering Myth, which we’ll be posting tomorrow, Bautista also revealed there has been a step forward in his attempts to make a Gears of War movie and said there’s “not a fucking chance” he’ll ever appear in a Fast & Furious film.
When a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) picks up a passenger (Dave Bautista) who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer, he’s thrust into a harrowing ordeal where he desperately tries to hold onto his wits, his life and his five-star rating.
Stuber is set for release on July 12th.