Robert Pattinson confirmed to play a villain in Denis Villeneuve's Dune Part 3

Fans on social media are buzzing over a post on X by Sci-Fi Archives, which reported that Robert Pattinson, the electrifying star of The Batman, will embody Scytale, a shape-shifting Tleilaxu Face Dancer, in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, titled Dune: Messiah.

Scheduled for release on December 18, 2026, this final chapter of Villeneuve's trilogy promises to be an unnerving examination of power and betrayal. Pattinson's casting as the devious villain opposite Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides has the fandom of Dune thriving with excitement, as Pattinson has an affinity for multilayered performances, and so this promises to be a chilling depiction.

Filming got underway in Budapest in July 2025, and the “hype” around this project is very real. This third film is based upon Frank Herbert's 1969 novel Dune: Messiah, and takes place 12 years following Dune: Part Two. Paul Atreides (Chalamet), now Emperor of the galaxy, watches as it is devastated by a Fremen-led jihad, a holy war, which has cost billions of lives. The messianic halo that surrounds him has begun to fray from the burden of the prophecy and Paul's power.

Scytale: Robert Pattinson’s sinister masterpiece

Scytale, the Tleilaxu Face Dancer, is no mere villain; he’s a shapeshifter who thrives on deception. In Herbert’s novel, Scytale can mimic any human form, infiltrating Paul’s court to sow chaos as part of a broader conspiracy. His Tleilaxu masters, genetic engineers obsessed with control, deploy him to manipulate through charm and cunning, notably via the ghola Duncan Idaho. 

Pattinson is a great choice, known for his raw intensity in The Lighthouse and Good Time. His mixture of charisma and menace is well-suited to Scytale's psychological warfare. Villeneuve has praised Pattinson's "unpredictable energy," suggesting that Pattinson will give a performance that will put Chalamet's Paul in a battle of wits.

Set reports, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter, describe Pattinson mastering "Scytale’s eerie physicality", from subtle gestures to chilling vocal shifts, ensuring a villain who’s both seductive and terrifying. Scytale’s role as the conspiracy’s linchpin, especially in scenes involving the stoneburner—a devastating weapon—promises to anchor the film’s tension, making Pattinson’s debut a standout.

Dune: Part 3: A saga’s tragic end

The storyline revolves around a plot by the Bene Gesserit, the Spacing Guild, and the Tleilaxu to bring Paul down using his weakness through political scheming and a mysterious ghola, a clone from his past. Villeneuve directs and writes with Jon Spaihts while borrowing from the novel Children of Dune to expand the saga. 

The cast impresses with Zendaya's Chani as a rebellious leader of the Fremen in opposition to Paul's path to imperialism; Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan in a political plot; and Anya Taylor-Joy's Alia, with prescient powers. Jason Momoa returns as the ghola Duncan Idaho, while newcomers Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke play Paul’s twins, Leto II and Ghanima. Shot in Budapest and Abu Dhabi, the film promises Greig Fraser’s sweeping visuals and Hans Zimmer’s evocative score, crafting a tragic, introspective epic.

Dune: Part Three is Villeneuve’s boldest gamble, shifting from the spectacle of sandworms to the quiet devastation of Paul’s unravelling. The story probes the cost of messianic power, with Paul facing rebellion from Chani, schemes from Irulan, and Alia’s prophetic burdens. The inclusion of Paul’s twins hints at a bridge to Herbert’s later novels, setting up Leto II’s future. The betrayal comes about through Scytale's scheme, but also the image of the deserts on Arrakis, together with battles on an IMAX scale, heighten everything. 

 Dune: Part 3 will hit theatres on December 18, 2026, and will stream on Max later, following Warner Bros.’release strategy. 

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