Director Denis Villeneuve continues to fill out the cast of Dune with A-list actors, as Oscar winner Javier Bardem is in talks to play Stilgar in Legendary's big-budget reboot, Collider has confirmed.

Based on the acclaimed novels by Frank Herbert, Dune will star Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the heir apparent of the Atreides family. When they're sent to rule over the desert planet Arrakis and its valuable spice commodity, their rule is contested by competing noble families, leading to betrayal and ultimately rebellion.

Bardem is nearing a deal to play Stilgar, the leader of Arrakis' nomadic tribes known as Fremen. As first reported by Collider earlier this week, Zendaya is also in talks to join the film as Chani, a Freman woman who shares a deep connection with Paul.

Oscar Isaac and Rebecca Ferguson will co-star as Paul's parents, while Stellan Skarsgård will play the film's antagonist, Baron Harkonnen, and Dave Bautista will play his murderous nephew. Meanwhile, screen legend Charlotte Rampling will play the Reverend Mother Mohiam, who can divine intentions, suss out lies and manipulate people's emotional states on behalf of the emperor.

Villeneuve co-wrote the script himself along with Oscar-winner Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) and Jon Spaihts (Prometheus). Villeneuve also executive produces the Legendary project with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter, as well as Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Thomas Tull, and Kim Herbert. Kevin J. Anderson will serve as a creative consultant on the project, which starts filming this spring in Budapest and Jordan.

Bardem, who won an Oscar for his performance in No Country for Old Men, recently starred in Darren Aronofsky's mother! and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, as well as the Pablo Escobar drama Loving Pablo. He next stars opposite wife Penelope Cruz in Asghar Farhadi's Everybody Knows, and opposite Elle Fanning in Sally Potter's father-daughter drama Molly. The actor has never shied away from big-budget fare, and Dune gives him the opportunity to work with one of Hollywood's most talented directors. He's represented by WME.

For more of our previous and continuing coverage of Dune, be sure to get caught up with our recent write-ups linked below:

• 'Dune' Exclusive: Zendaya Eyed to Play Chani Opposite Timothée Chalamet
• Oscar Isaac in Negotiations to Star in Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ as Duke Leto Atreides
• Stellan Skarsgard to Play Villain in Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’
• Dave Bautista Joins Timothée Chalamet in Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’