In a brilliant bit of casting, Dune has found its Reverend Mother Mohiam in the form of Oscar-nominated actress, Charlotte Rampling. For those familiar with both the Frank Herbert sci-fi classic and with Rampling’s incredible career, it’s probably easy to imagine how perfect the French actress is for the role of the Emperor’s Truthsayer.
The role of the Reverend Mother is a key one in Dune, as the character is the head of the matriarchal Bene Gesserit religion which tests young protagonist Paul Atreides to see if he may be their long-sought Kwisatz Haderach, the messiah figure her order seeks to breed and control. The mantra that has become famous from the Herbert novels and the multiple adaptations includes the recognisable, “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.” Siân Phillips played the Reverend Mother in the 1984 film, whereas Zuzana Geislerová played the role in the 2000 miniseries on the Sci Fi Channel.
The announcement of Rampling’s casting now sits alongside other exciting additions such as Dave Bautista, Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, and Stellan Skarsgard. Dune has built plenty of buzz with its cast news even though filming has not begun on the film. Speculation is that famed director Denis Villeneuve will wisely choose to break the daunting first novel into several parts to honour the epic nature of the story, something which the Lynch film famously failed to do and which Jodorowsky sadly was never able to attempt.
Dune tells the story of warring nobility on a desert planet known as Arrakis whose sole export is a rare spice that gives its users greatly enhanced mental powers, to oversimplify it. The project will begin filming on location in Budapest and Jordan this spring, according to THR. The release date is estimated to be sometime in 2021.