Out promoting her role in Kathryn Bigelow’s new film “A House of Dynamite,” actress Rebecca Ferguson has confirmed she has already shot all her scenes for the upcoming “Dune: Part Three” which is currently in production.
The new film will be based on 1969’s “Dune Messiah” which begins twelve years later with Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) ruling as Emperor, married to Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) while maintaining a relationship with his concubine, Chani (Zendaya). Forces plot against him, including the Bene Tleilax – an arcane, xenophobic sect of genetic manipulators who traffic in biological products.
While Ferguson’s Lady Jessica is a major character in the first book and first two films, she’s only briefly mentioned in the ‘Messiah’ novel, with her character having returned to the Atreides home of Caladan and to the Bene Geserit Sisterhood.
It was unclear if she would return. Speaking with Indiewire, she confirms she’s filmed her part which is only small, but still more substantial than what was in the book which is all thanks to director Denis Villeneuve:
I don’t have a big part in this one, [she’s] just barely in the book. I’m not sure I was supposed to be in it and Denis had a little idea. The script is phenomenal. It’s really hard to create a film, it’s such a dense book. There’s so much to tell. [Denis] does dip in and out and he does try and he does want to have certain connections and tentacles to the book. Whatever Denis touches I think is phenomenal.”
Should Warners proceed with more after this, namely a “Children of Dune” adaptation, Jessica plays a much bigger part in that story.
