Why Robert Pattinson's Dune Movie Died

Denis Villeneuve has done what no other filmmaker has been able to and turned Frank Herbert's "Dune" into a duology — soon to be a trilogy — of successful big-budget movies. That's not for lack of trying, though. Both before and after David Lynch's 1984 film bombed at the box office, several bizarre "Dune" movies were planned but never made for one reason or another, most notably Alejandro Jodorowsky's failed attempt in the 1970s.

A much more recent but lesser-known pre-Villeneuve effort is that of Paramount Pictures, for which Robert Pattinson was tapped to play the role of Paul Atreides. The studio had big plans to turn the books into a film franchise but shuffled its feet for years before ultimately losing the rights in 2011. According to rights holder Richard P. Rubinstein, the decision partially came down to money.

Should it have proceeded more smoothly, Paramount Pictures' "Dune" might have been directed by Pierre Morel ("Taken") and designed by art director Kevin Jenkins ("Jurassic World Dominion"). At various stages, its script was worked on by Josh Zetumer, who went on to write the 2014 "RoboCop" remake, and Chase Palmer, who later found success with the script for 2017's "It Chapter One."

Robert Pattinson was never the same after "Twilight," having struggled with the heartthrob reputation and attention the series brought and uncertain about where he should take his career — especially since he'd already had one fallback into obscurity after "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Needless to say, he was in a very different place when he was in talks to star in Paramount Pictures' "Dune" films, still best known at the time for playing vampire Edward Cullen with a side order of wizard Cedric Diggory.

Everyone who's followed Pattinson's career knows what happened next. He completely reinvented himself with a series of indie films and carefully chosen character roles like the Dauphin of France in 2019's "The King" — in which, ironically enough, he wages war against none other than Timothée Chalamet's young Henry V. After reemerging in the blockbuster world with Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" and Matt Reeves' "The Batman," Pattinson now enjoys the enviable position of being both a proven big-budget film star and a tried-and-tested indie darling.

No one knows what might have happened if Paramount Pictures' "Dune" film series had been made and Pattinson had chosen to star in them instead of diving headfirst into independent cinema. Still, it does seem likely that moving from the "Twilight" series to a sci-fi franchise helmed by the director of "Taken" and written by relatively unknown screenwriters might have taken his career in a dramatically different direction.

While he never got to play Paul Atreides — and has frankly done pretty well for himself despite this — Robert Pattinson has been quite clear about joining the blockbuster franchise in some other capacity, despite avoiding sequels as much as possible (the upcoming "The Batman II" being an exception).

"There's only been two movies — well, three now — where I wanted to do a sequel," he told Variety in 2022. "The '[Planet of the] Apes' movies, 'Sicario' and 'Dune.'" Pattinson's interest is understandable. Considering his history of working with filmmaker auteurs and willingness to tackle big-budget projects, he'd be on his home turf with Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" films.

Sure enough, Villeneuve cast him in "Dune: Part Three," which is due out in December 2026. Pattinson is playing Scytale, an enhanced, shape-shifting human who spearheads a plot to assassinate Paul Atreides. Robert Pattinson is coming to Arrakis at last.