Rebecca Ferguson isn’t done booking incredibly exciting new gigs. Last month, in the wake of the release of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the tremendously talented actress signed on to key roles in both the new Men in Black movie and the Shining sequel Doctor Sleep, the latter of which finds her starring opposite Ewan McGregor. Those will keep her busy through the end of the year, and now it appears Ferguson has zeroed in on an incredibly exciting project to kick off 2019: Dune.
THR reports that Ferguson is in talks to star in Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated new Dune movie, which is of course an adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel of the same name. Oscar-nominated Call Me by Your Name star Timothee Chalamet is already onboard to star as Paul Atreides, and Ferguson would play his mother, Lady Jessica (for the record, Ferguson is only 12 years older than Chalamet).
The story of Dune is sprawling, as it’s a sci-fi tale steeped in politics, religion, and power, chronicling the story of a fallen noble family’s attempt to control a desert planet while simultaneously being betrayed by a galactic emperor. Paul is the son of the ruler family, who is forced to escape into the wastelands and partner up with nomad tribes. His mother, Lady Jessica, escapes with him.
Villeneuve co-wrote the screenplay with Oscar-winning Forrest Gump and Curious Case of Benjamin Button scribe Eric Roth and Passengers screenwriter Jon Spaihts. Legendary Entertainment is producing the adaptation, which is expected to start production in early 2019.
If you’ve been wondering what Villeneuve has been up to since Blade Runner 2049 was released last year, it’s Dune. The project is tremendously ambitious, and the filmmaker potentially plans for this adaptation to span at least two movies in total. It hasn’t yet been confirmed if cinematographer Roger Deakins, who shot both Prisoners and Blade Runner 2049—the latter of which finally won him the Oscar—will be reteaming with Villeneuve, but it’s possible. Deakins most recently shot The Goldfinch so he’s been tied up in 2018, but could potentially now be turning his focus to Dune.
Ferguson will next be seen in Attack the Block filmmaker Joe Cornish’s highly anticipated second directorial project, The Kid Who Would Be King, which hits theaters next year.
