Rebecca Ferguson in talks for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

I was blown away when I first saw Rebecca Ferguson as conflicted spy Ilsa Faust in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION (a role she recently reprised in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT), so I count it as good news whenever I hear that she's in talks to join a project that has our attention here at Arrow in the Head. Even if those projects don't always turn out so well (LIFE, THE SNOWMAN).

With roles secured in the upcoming MEN IN BLACK spin-off and Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation DOCTOR SLEEP, a sequel to THE SHINING, Ferguson is now in talks to take a role in director Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel DUNE.

Previously brought to the screen as a David Lynch film in 1984 and as a TV mini-series in 2000, DUNE follows 

Paul Atreides, whose family assumes control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, jurisdiction over Arrakis is contested among competing noble families. After Paul and his family are betrayed, the story explores themes of politics, religion, and man’s relationship with nature, as Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s reign.

Four-time Oscar nominee and one-time Oscar winner Eric Roth has written the screenplay adaptation for this new take on the material, which Villeneuve is producing with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter. Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Thomas Tull, and Kim Herbert serve as executive producers, with Kevin J. Anderson on board as creative consultant.

If Ferguson's deal is closed, she would be taking on the role of Lady Jessica, mother of Paul Atreides. Timothée Chalamet, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance in last year's CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, is already signed on to play Paul.