Seydoux joins Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune Part Two’ as Lady Margot

Actress Lea Seydoux has joined “Dune: Part Two” in the critical role of Lady Margot, a vital ally to Paul Atreides in his war with the House of Harkonnen. According to “Variety,” director Denis Villeneuve is set to start filming the “Dune” sequel later this year, with Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgard and Dave Bautista set to reprise their roles.

They will be joined by new actors Austin Butler (as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, heir to the House of Harkonnen), Christopher Walken (as Emperor Shaddam IV) and Florence Pugh (as the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Irulan). Villeneuve is co-writing the screenplay with Jon Spaihts.

Villeneuve, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter and Tanya Lapointe are producing, and Josh Grode, David Valdes, Herbert W. Gains, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Thomas Tull, Spaihts, Richard P. Rubinstein and John Harrison are executive producing, reports ‘Variety’.

In Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune,” Lady Margot factors early on into the story, when she leaves a critical warning to Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Ferguson), about the treachery that awaits them on Arrakis after House Atreides takes over from House Harkonnen.

That sequence didn’t make Villeneuve’s movie, but as a member of the Bene Gesserit, Lady Margot does have a major part to play in the second half of the story, involving Feyd-Rautha and her husband, Count Fenring (a role that has yet to be cast).

Perhaps best known for her performance in the latest James Bond movies, “Spectre” and “No Time to Die,” Seydoux most recently starred alongside Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart in director David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future.” Seydoux began her acting career in French cinema, appearing in films such as “The Last Mistress” (2007) and “On War” (2008). Seydoux first came to attention after she won the Trophée Chopard and received her first César Award nomination, for her performance in “The Beautiful Person” (2008).

Since then, Seydoux has appeared in major Hollywood films including Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” (2009), Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” (2010), Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (2011) and the action film “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” (2011).

In 2013, Seydoux came to widespread attention when she was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in the critically acclaimed film “Blue Is the Warmest Colour,” along with its film director Abdellatif Kechiche and her co-star Adèle Exarchopoulos. That same year, she also received the Lumières Award for Best Actress for the film “Grand Central” and, in 2014, she was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award and starred in the films “Beauty and the Beast,” Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Saint Laurent.”

Agencies