Filming for the highly anticipated sequel and conclusion to Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of
Dune will soon be underway in the next few months. Before production begins there have been several
significant casting decisions that have recently been revealed one of which includes Austin
Butler as playing Feyd-Rautha of the villainous House Harkonnen. This role was famously taken on
by Sting in David Lynch’s 1984 film. The rumor of Butler’s casting was initially revealed back
in March but since that time there has not been any information regarding his portrayal
of the character until now. In this video I’d like to discuss this newest revelation
and what this reveals about what we can expect to see from Feyd Rautha in Dune Part 2. Spoiler
warning as I will be discussing some details involving key fight sequences from the novel.
As Austin Butler promotes his upcoming Elvis biopic in which he plays the title role a
recent article from the New York Times not only reaffirmed the actor’s casting as Feyd-Rautha,
but it also included a special note that Butler had just started intensive knife-fighting
training for the role. So it appears that before filming begins around late summer
Austin Butler is busy preparing for his portrayal of the infamous antagonist of House Harkonnen.
One unique aspect of Villeneuve’s interpretation of Frank Herbert’s novel that was confirmed
shortly before the release of Dune part one was that Feyd-Rautha was not going to appear in
the first movie. The filmmaker’s reasoning was that there were enough characters for part one
and Villeneuve also felt that it would be more elegant to reserve Feyd’s introduction for Part
2. In other recent interviews about the upcoming sequel the Director has assured how important the
character of Feyd-Rautha will be while teasing much more Harkonnen stuff for the next film.
In the story of Dune, though the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is the central antagonist, his nephew
Feyd-Rautha Rabban as his chosen heir is a main component of his quest for power. The Baron favors
Feyd over his brother Glossu as he balances his ferocity and ruthless ambition with intelligence,
charisma and subtlety. He is a formidable warrior and Austin Butler will have a lot of
work to do to accurately portray Feyd-Rautha’s physicality and devious nature in battle.
In regards to what we might see in Dune part 2 as it relates to combat. Roger Yuan, actor
and veteran fight coordinator who helped craft the various fighting styles for this adaptation
revealed some insider information in a past interview. Yuan not only worked to prep the actors
for their prospective battle sequences but he also had a small role in Dune part one as Atreides
soldier Lieutenant Lanville. Though his character makes only brief appearances in the first film,
Villeneuve reportedly has some significant plans for him in the sequel. In his interview with
KungfuKingdom.com Yuan said that Denis wanted him to play a part in the first installment
so that in the sequel his character would come back to duel Feyd-Rautha.
This particular scene that Yuan is referring to no doubt is the gladiatorial battle that takes
place on the Harkonnen Homeworld Geidi Prime on Feyd-Rautha’s 17th birthday.
This holiday was also significant as it was to remind all Harkonnen subjects
that Feyd-Rautha was officially chosen as the Baron’s heir-designate and to mark the occasion
it was arranged for his nephew to defeat his one hundredth slave-gladiator in the family games.
There are many nuances to this duel as Feyd has conspired with the captured Atreides Mentat
Thufir Hawat and enters the battle knowing that his slave-gladiator opponent will not be drugged
as per usual. As a result it was intended for the blame for such an egregious oversight to fall on
the Harkonnen slavemaster leaving an opening for someone loyal to Feyd-Rautha to take his place.
However, to his surprise, the opponent he ended up facing was no ordinary slave-gladiator. Instead
he was a clear minded Atreides soldier, a warrior trained by the best warmasters and tacticians in
the known universe. This opponent would no doubt be eager for the opportunity to exact revenge.
Though the Atreides soldier isn’t drugged he has the disadvantage of a half
shield and as an additional precaution, a key word had been implanted into his subconscious
that when spoken would immobilize his muscles if the need arose. As if that wasn’t enough
Feyd-Rautha had one more trick up his sleeve that only he was aware of. According to tradition
the knife wielded in the white gloved hand would be laced with poison
however Feyd had poisoned the knife in his other hand to throw off his opponent’s strategy.
Despite the obvious upperhand granted to Feyd, his previous matches had all been grossly one sided.
Now facing a warrior that had been expertly trained leads to a tense battle that forces
the Harkonnen heir to make use of every advantage in order to survive the encounter.
The other significant fight scene involving Feyd-Rautha is found in the final pages of the
novel after he challenges Paul Atreides in an act of kanly hoping to bring a swift end to Paul’s bid
to seize the Golden Lion Throne. Feyd is described as physically fit; having heavy shoulders and
thick muscles which stands in contrast with Paul’s slender yet muscular frame indicative of his
years of desert living. In this final fight, Feyd continues to rely on his secrets and tricks but is
cunning in how he deploys them in battle. However, this time his opponent is unlike any he has faced
before. During this confrontation the difference between the two is even more apparent, though
Paul has his own advantages unlike Feyd-Rautha he refuses to owe his victory to anyone else.
In the novel both matches detail Feyd’s perspective and feature his internal
thoughts providing added insight into his character, his cunning, his ambition,
and his drive to achieve victory by any means while giving the appearance of fairness.
Through these confrontations the reader comes to a greater understanding of his character
and how he stands in contrast to the Atreides Heir. While Feyd is a willing participant in
the Baron’s schemes for power it’s apparent that he will cooperate with his Uncle’s plans
so long as they align with his own selfish desires. I’m very interested to see how
these battle sequences will be adapted, in this visual medium. In regards to Feyd’s gladiatorial
battle against the Atreides soldier his internal thoughts serve to set the stage
which makes me wonder if there will be added dialogue to help setup the nuances of the scene
or if it will simply be presented as a display of the Harkonnen heir’s ruthlessness and lack of
honor in combat with the goal being to emphasize the difference between him and Paul Atreides.
When it comes to how these intricate scenes from the book will be adapted,
Javier Bardem who plays Fremen leader Stilgar offered some interesting insight. In his recent
Q&A as part of the 75th Cannes film festival when he asked about Dune part 2 he said quote:
“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. 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. 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."
What I find especially intriguing is his remark that even book readers will be surprised not by
the events of the story itself but by how the pieces of it are put together.
From what we've seen from Dune, I think Denis Villeneuve will likely continue to focus
on the core themes and elements which ultimately surround Paul Atreides. So it makes me think that
the Harkonnen antagonists might be featured just enough so as to contribute in a significant way
to Paul’s story arc but we’ll see how it all unfolds when Dune part 2 releases next year.
But I’m curious to know what you think about the fight choreography and battle sequences featured
in Dune part one and what you think this indicates of what we can expect to see in the sequel
from actor Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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Thank you all so much for your support and as always have a very nerdy day.