I have a vague recollection of watching that (and oddly enough I've been re-reading some of my Philippa Gregory Tudor novels lately). But I don't remember this actress. She looks about a decade too young for Jessica. The article says she's going for Jessica. She's too old for Chani, and according to the Dune Encyclopedia, Irulan is 11 years older than Paul (therefore she was 26 at the beginning of the novel). Sigourney Weaver would be great as Gaius Helen Mohiam.
If they're really casting Jessica this young then it may be a good indication that Paul will actually be a teenager as he is in the books. Possibly a little older, but certainly not in his 20's...unless they find an actor that old that genuinely looks like he could pass for 16-ish.
She's 34. Jessica is 36 at the beginning of the novel if you go by the family tree ages. Should be perfectly acceptable to the purists.
Probably not that young no, but he has that skinny, slightly gawky looking going on that means he might be able to get away with playing 17 or 18. What's important is that there's a noticeable enough change after the time-jump for it to be credible that Gurney didn't recognise him at first glance. this can be done with some make-up & lighting trickery in the first half of the movie, but the real work will be in the young man's acting abilities. We'll see. It's less about looks than it is about whether the actress can pull off Jessica as a character. The regal poise, the calm maturity and intelligence. It's a subtle role and one I think most younger actresses might not cope with as well. Again, we'll see.
As I mentioned, she was fine as Elizabeth Woodville in The White Queen, playing her ageing from 27 to 42.
It's considered bad form for Bene Gesserit to use anti-ageing tricks. The spice doesn't necessarily make people look young, but it does slow down some of the bodily processes that contribute to ageing in people who don't have the benefit of spice in their diet. True. And it's not only age that was the difficulty for Gurney. By that time (four years later), Paul had become more Fremen - leaner, his skin drier from the harsh conditions of the desert, and his eyes were blue-within-blue. And the Fremen hygiene routine doesn't include bathing in water. By that time Paul was as grubby-looking as the rest of them.
We've got some more casting news: Dave Bautista, the former WWE wrestler best known for playing Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will be playing Raban. I missed the news when it first came out, but apparently Call Me Your Names's Timothee Chalamet is playing Paul.
Though he's clearly well suited for the role from a physical standpoint, I'm a little disappointed they're giving him Raban. 'Blade Runner 2049' proved he had some range and I think he'd make a great Gurney Halleck. I'd even be curious to see what he could do with The Baron himself.
My main issue is his age, I had thought of Raban as somebody in his early or mid-20s, not 49 like Bautista.
Yeah, I love Bautista but he does seem a bit old to be Raban. I do agree that he would make an awesome Gurney Halleck.
I admit to being worried about this whole "Maybe two movies" thing. If they really do make two movies I hope they make them at the same time so that a potential box office failure doesn't screw us over.
All that really matters is that he's the brutish, older nephew. They can play with the exact age of the character without impacting the story in any way that matters. And don't forget, this is a society where thanks to the spice, the aristocracy can live for several hundred years. So an heir apparent in his 40's or 50's still acting like an entitled 20-something isn't out of the question.
Then how old do you imagine Feyd? I feel like Raban would be easily 30 to 40, as he was the heir-apparent until he proved to be, well, a beast, an inept at the job.
I'd cast Natalie Dormer for Jessica. She's obviously attractive, and there's something very regal and commanding about her. Saw her on stage last year and she has incredible presence. Ideal Bene Gesserit.