Javier Bardem says he was “very moved” by the Dune: Part Two script

Back in March, writer/director Denis Villeneuve said that his script for Dune: Part Two was “finished mostly.” Now, it seems to have been completed enough to make it into in the hands of at least one actor.

Javier Bardem, who plays Stilgar, recently participated in a Q&A at the Cannes Film Festival. The Spanish actor shared his first reactions to the script, which continues the 2021 film’s adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert.

“I’ve read the new draft, and I think they’ve done an amazing job of putting together the pieces in a way that is gonna surprise people,” Bardem says, as reported by Deadline. “They won’t be surprised [by what happens], obviously, because they’ve read the book, but they’ll be surprised by the way they put it together. I was very moved by it.”

Bardem’s character had fairly limited screen time in the first Dune, which concludes just as Paul (Timothée Chalamet) makes contact with the Fremen. Paul is destined to be the messiah of the desert planet Arrakis, and Stilgar is the leader of its native people.

“It’s a movie that is full, and you can feel the weight of it, and at the same time [you can enjoy] the spectacularity of it,” he continues. “[I can’t wait] to go back to the desert with those people, and I’m so happy to go back with Denis, who is one of the greatest directors ever. He’s a lovely man.”

Bardem will be back in the stillsuit when Dune: Part Two goes into production later this year. Fans can also expect to see more of Zendaya this time around, now that the story will be more focused on the Fremen community.

Austin Butler, the star of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, was recently confirmed as joining the Dune: Part Two cast. He’ll be playing Feyd-Rautha, Paul’s rival whom he’s fated to face off against in the story’s climactic duel. The New York Times says that Butler is currently undergoing “intensive knife-fight training” to prepare for the role.

Other new faces in Dune: Part Two include Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV and Florence Pugh as his daughter Princess Irulan. The sequel is scheduled to be released in 2023.