Robert Pattinson To Play Scytale In Dune 3

Its time we declare Robert Pattinson as that serious actor with a stacked slate. We are in Q2 2025 and post the grand international success of Mickey17, Robert Pattinson is back in the headlines. Not for Batman 2 directed by Matt Reeves or about his time on the sets of Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Homer's Odyssey. Its Denis Villeneuve directed Dune 3.

Though not confirmed yet, but the word is swirling around Hollywood that Pattison is being considered internally to play the main villain, Scytale, from Frank Herbert's novels. While talks continue for Dune 3: Messiah, as of now, no offer has gone to the actor yet.

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To be honest, Pattinson as Scytale, the cerebral villain makes perfect sense. He is one of those actors to bring intensity, restraint, and precision. Take Pattinson's performance in The Lighthouse and Batman for instance.

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While The Lighthouse is a slow-paced, theatrical, and quite an intense film, Pattinson as Ephraim Winslow brings a certain degree of control to his body language, one that is chilling and at the same time intriguing. We can see the character's shift in behaviour, one that goes from a restrained person to a full-blown violent one. As much as his face tells, his body language describes his inner turmoil.

What about Bruce Wayne is Batman, you say. He is raw, barely speaks over a whisper as his gaze does most of the talking. Its a near-monastic control, one that very well-taps into the psyche of Bruce.

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So, even the idea that he could play the sci-fi villain in Dune makes total sense from a casting perspective. Villeneuve, known for his notoriously meticulousness, wouldn't cast an actor who does a job well as a caricature. His movies feel like a fuse waiting to be lit, so he goes for actors who can work well with silence as much as with action. Stillness is hard to master on-screen.

In Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Sicario, and so far in Dune (All slow burners by the way)-the characters of these films have mostly rarely expressed emotions directly so presence of the actor makes a hell lot of difference to his style of direction and storytelling. And Pattinson's recent works? They're totally baller!

While we wait for the cast is officially announced, we have to wonder: Is Pattinson about to become Villeneuve's Scytale in the upcoming part of the third Dune film set for December 2026 release?

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And Who Is Scytale?

Not your average villain. Scytale is a Face Dancer- a shapeshifter, who can genetically manipulate and deceive. He is trained by the Bene Tleilax and is a key to Paul Atreides' unravelling (Timothee Chalamet).

For a character playing Scytale in the Denis Villeneuve directed films would need to perfect the mental game as much as the physical transformation. Afterall, the Face Dancer is there to deconstruct and infiltrate the Messiah Paul Atreides' empire built on prophecy, myth and ideology. He doesn't observe the changing scenery. He legit controls it.

Again, if you haven't read the Frank Herbert novels, you still have time, you know, before the next film drops. Get started, you won't regret it!