Jason Momoa is going from the deep ocean blue to the desert wasteland of the far-flung planet Arrakis. Per Variety, The Aquaman star is in negotiations to join the ever-growing cast of Dune, Legendary’s adaptation of the sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert that is being directed by Denis Villeneuve.
The call sheet already includes Timothee Chalamet as the lead character, Paul Atreides, as well as Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. Zendaya and Oscar Isaac are also in talks to join the cast.
Dune, considered a sci-fi literary classic, tells the complex story of a fallen noble family’s attempt to control a desert planet named Arrakis and its export, a rare drug called melange, even as it is betrayed by a galactic emperor.
If a deal makes, Jason Momoa will play Duncan Idaho, the swordmaster who is fiercely loyal to the Atreides family. The character, portrayed by Richard Jordan in David Lynch’s 1984 movie, became a fan favorite who ended up appearing in all of Herbert’s original novels.
This would be a big get for a movie that’s already gotten quite a few of those. Fresh off the success of Aquaman, Jason Momoa’s star is on the rise. Between his time on Game of Thrones, Stargate, and the DC Extended Universe, he’s very much cut out for a dense science fiction story about power, war and sandworms.
