Pre-production of Denis Villeneuve‘s ‘Dune‘ is moving even further forward as Charlotte Rampling (‘Red Sparrow’,’Hannah’) has joined the cast as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam. Depending on the audience she is likely known to some for her Oscar nomination for her work in ’45 Years,’ or for genre fans, she’s likely thought of for her work in ‘Assassin’s Creed‘ or ‘Dexter.’
Mohiam is one of the more important members of the Bene Gesserit in the first ‘Dune’ novel. She is the one who tests young Paul Atreides to see if he could be the Messiah which their breeding program had been trying to give birth to but later will end up as the Emperor Shaddam IV’s Truthsayer and have the inner ear of the most powerful man in the universe.
Rampling is joining an already notable cast which includes Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Timothée Chalamet, and Rebecca Ferguson. She’ll likely be sharing scenes with Chalamet as Paul and Ferguson as his mother the Lady Jessica but is unlikely to see any of the Harkonnen family who Skarsgård and Bautista are part of.
While box office reception will likely guide the fate of this movie it is planned on only covering the first half of the original novel in a series that initially had six installments written by Frank Herbert and more based on his notes by his son. This means that if it is well received we should get at least two movies if not a potential ongoing franchise.
Are you thrilled to hear that ‘Dune’ is progressing with more casting? If you’re familiar with Charlotte Rampling’s work, do you feel that she’ll be perfect at playing the part of Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
