With Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson already on board to star, casting has begun for the role of Chani in Legendary’s Dune adaption. Chani is essentially the second female lead of the film, next to Lady Jessica Atreides (Ferguson). Omega Underground has learned that Legendary will be seeking a non-white actress for the role and have a character breakdown to share.
CHANI: A young woman (18-23) from the Fremen on Arrakis (Dune) who will have an immediate emotional connection with Paul, the lead character (Chalamet). The studio is searching for actresses of Middle Eastern, African, or Latin/Hispanic descent.
The role was previously played by Blade Runner’s Sean Young in the David Lynch film from 1984 and Zoe Kravitz (Mad Max: Fury Road) had previously shown interest in a Dune role, it seems like Chani could be something perfect for her.
The movie, based on the book by Frank Herbert, chronicles the tale of Paul Atreides as he attempts to restore his family’s authority over a planet that provides a rare natural resource. During that process, he ends up developing superpowers and becoming the universe’s space messiah while waging a massive war against a competing family that killed his father Duke Leto Atreides.
Dune (possibly the first in a bunch of installments) is set to begin production this March with Denis Villeneuve at the helm. Eric Roth wrote the screenplay after Legendary attained the rights to the project in November of 2016. No release date for the pic has been set.
Filming will take place in Budapest, Hungary.
SOURCE: OMEGA UNDERGROUND