Javier Bardem shares concerning update about Dune: Messiah

Actor isn’t sure if he’ll be a part of the next film

Javier Bardem has shared a worrying update about Denis Villeneuve’s third Dune film.

In the franchise, the actor plays Stilgar, the leader of the Fremen tribe. He was introduced Villeneueve’s first movie in the franchise, which was released in 2021 and returned for a larger role in Dune: Part 2 – one of the most bankable films of 2024.

He is expected to return in the third film titled Dune: Messiah, based on Frank Herbert’s book. However, the Hollywood actor is not so sure if this is the case, revealing that he hasn’t been told whether he will be in it or not alongside lead stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.

Acknowledging that Villeneueve is “in the writing zone” for the film, a spin-off to which has just been released, Bardem told Deadline: “I know that I’m in the book, so I should be in the script.”

He comedically added: “If I’m not, I will be very angry and I will let him know,” before stating: “Seriously though, I totally love him. I adore him. Whatever he wants, and whatever he decides, it will be fine for me. Absolutely. He’s one of a kind. He’s an extraordinary human being. Such a loving man, fun, funny as hell, and a real worker.”

Bardem suggested his son would be disappointed not to see him in the forthcoming film due to his lack of action scenes in the second movie.

“When he saw Dune 2, he stood up in the theatre and said, ‘That’s my dad’ – but then at the end, he said, ‘But you haven’t had any sword fighting.’

“So now I have another demand for Denis Villeneuve. If there is such a thing as Dune: Messiah, please give me just a little sword fighting that I can show to my kid.”

‘Dune’ star Javier Bardem (Warner Bros Pictures)

Bardem’s Dune co-star Josh Brolin, who revealed he almost “got into a fight” with Denzel Washington in 2007, recently said he would “quit acting” if Villeneuve doesn’t get a Best Director Oscar nomination for Part 2.

Writing in his new memoir From Under the Truck, Brolin said:“If he doesn’t get nominated this year, I’ll quit acting . It was a better movie than the first one.

“When I watched it, it felt like my brain was broken open. It’s masterful, and Denis is one of our master filmmakers. If the Academy Awards have any meaning whatsoever, they’ll recognise him.”