Josh Brolin joins the star-studded cast of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune reboot in the role of Gurney Halleck. Hollywood is no stranger to ensembles loaded with A-list talent, but there’s no denying Villeneuve has assembled quite the murderers’ row for his latest endeavor. Already, the roster included big names like Timotheé Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Oscar Isaac, and Javier Bardem (among several others). Obviously, with a well-respected auteur like Villeneuve calling the shots, several of the industry’s top actors and actresses were eager to work with him.
Though several of the primary Dune roles have already been filled, fans of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel know it features many more characters - some of whom have yet to be cast. As Villeneuve gears up for the start of production in the near future, he’s recruited one of his former collaborators for one such part. After working together on 2015’s crime drama Sicario, Brolin and Villeneuve are reuniting for Dune.
According to Variety, Brolin has been cast as Gurney Halleck, who was played by Patrick Stewart in David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation. For those unfamiliar with the source material, Gurney is a warrior loyal to House Atreides and serves as a mentor to protagonist Paul Atreides (played by Chalamet in Villeneuve’s film).
Prior to making the leap to major franchise fare with Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2, Brolin had built up a strong résumé working with some of the most unique and interesting directors in the business, like Joel & Ethan Cohen, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Spike Lee. With Dune, he’ll be able to combine these two worlds; Villeneuve is firmly established as one of his generation’s top helmsman, and Dune is going to sport a massive scope to immerse viewers. Given his abilities, Brolin should prove to be a strong fit for the material. Over the course of his career, he’s played everything from the dim-witted Tom Chaney to the tough-as-nails Cable, displaying a wide range. Whatever the role of Gurney calls for, Brolin will be able to handle it.
There’s no telling what other famous faces will join Dune before Villeneuve starts rolling the cameras, but it’s abundantly clear the director is swinging for the fences on his latest endeavor. He’s already stated he intends to make multiple Dune films, with this initial installment only covering only the book’s first half. It isn’t surprising to see the man behind Blade Runner 2049 get ambitious, so hopefully Dune turns out as promising as it sounds and gives sci-fi fans a new franchise to obsess over. With all of the talent involved, it’d be very hard for it not to.
More: Why Denis Villeneuve is the Perfect Director for Dune
Source: Variety
