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The Twilight heartthrob-turned-dark knight wanted in on Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi masterpiece. And he wasn’t shy about it either. “There’s only been two movies — well, three now — where I wanted to do a sequel: the Apes movies, Sicario and Dune,” Pattinson told Variety. “I saw both of the Apes movies in the cinema and I just thought what he could do with mo-cap was just so unbelievable. If he could do that with a monkey’s face, then he can get a performance out of me as well.”
That wasn’t just fanboy talk. Pattinson meant business. After all, he had already worked with heavyweights like Christopher Nolan (Tenet) and Matt Reeves (The Batman), and had a first-look production deal locked in with Warner Bros. So the stars seemed to align. Except… they didn’t.
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Despite Dune being a Warner Bros. project and Villeneuve expanding the universe in Part Two, Pattinson never made the jump. Even though new characters were being added, including Feyd-Rautha, a major villain role ripe for a Pattinson-style twist, he stayed on the sidelines.
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It wasn’t for lack of love. Pattinson had long admired Villeneuve’s work on Sicario and Dune, hinting that collaborating with the director was a dream. But the opportunity just never materialized. Whether it was scheduling with The Batman sequel or just a casting shuffle, Pattinson didn’t suit up for the spice wars.
Meanwhile, Villeneuve made it clear that Part Two would shift gears. “It’s like a chess game,” he told Empire. “Some new characters will be introduced in the second part and a decision I made very early on was that this first part would be more about Paul Atreides and the Bene Gesserit, and his experience of being in contact for the first time with a different culture. Second part, there will be much more Harkonnen stuff.”
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That expansion opened the door for many stars, but Pattinson just wasn’t one of them. While names like Austin Butler joined the cast, Pattinson kept caped up as Bruce Wayne, focusing on Gotham rather than Giedi Prime.
Still, the dream wasn’t dead. Pattinson’s name stayed in fan wishlists for future Dune spinoffs or possible prequels. And with Warner Bros. in his corner, the door wasn’t fully closed. But for Dune: Part Two, Pattinson remained an outsider looking in.
He had the desire, the clout, and the résumé. What he didn’t have… was a ticket to Arrakis.
For more such throwbacks, stay tuned to Koimoi!
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