In a late addition to the appeal, Tim Blake Nelson has joined the high-flying cast of Dune: Part 2, Denis Villeneuve’s sprawling adaptation of the Frank Herbert sci-fi classic produced by Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
The actor, who will become first author when his debut novel City of Blows comes out in February, joins Dune newcomers Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux and Christopher Walken on the project, which officially wrapped in mid-December.
The newcomers join returning actors Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem.
Character details for Nelson’s role are kept low in the sand. The sequel follows the second half of Herbert’s 1965 novel, in which Paul Atreides (Chalamet) joins forces with the desert-dwelling Fremen to rid the planet of Arrakis of the evil House of Harkonnen.
Dune: Part 2 will be released on November 3rd. The first film, Dune, opened simultaneously in domestic theaters and HBO Max on October 22, 2021, grossed $400.6 million at the worldwide box office and received 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning six .
Villeneuve is directing Dune: Part 2 from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts. Mary Parent, Villeneuve, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Patrick McCormick are producing the film.
Nelson most recently starred in Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities and collaborated again with the filmmaker on Netflix’s Guillermo del Toro stop-motion film Pinocchio, in which he portrayed the character of the black man rabbit expressed. The film debuted streaming on December 9 and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2023 Critic’s Choice Awards.
In 2021, Nelson stepped into Potsy Ponciroli’s action western Old Henry as the lead and received universal praise for his commanding performance.
City of Blows from Nameless Press aims to tell the sordidness and absurdity of the film industry with a story that brings together multiple characters – an aging and legendary producer, a busy young upstart, ruthless agents, ambitious actors, and hard-pressed actors Directors juggle in one story that involves the adaptation of a best-selling novel and a producer out for revenge.
Nelson is represented by UTA, Gateway Management and Brecheen Feldman.