Robert Pattinson Teases His “Unusual” DUNE 3 Villain Scytale and He Sounds Wildly Unpredictable
Dune: Part Three is bringing in a character who could seriously shake things up. With Robert Pattinson stepping into the role of Scytale, fans are getting their first real hint at what kind of threat this shapeshifting figure will pose.
Pattinson recently opened up about the character during a trailer launch event, and the way he describes Scytale makes him sound more like a wild card than a straightforward antagonist.
"He’s an unusual character in the book. I mean, you can't really tell whose side he's on, and it's kind of what makes him quite interesting."
That ambiguity is a huge deal in the world of Dune. In Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, Scytale is a member of the Bene Tleilax, a secretive and deeply unsettling group known for their mastery of genetic engineering.
These are the people responsible for bringing Duncan Idaho back from the dead as a ghola, essentially a cloned version rebuilt from a corpse. Yeah, it’s as creepy as it sounds, and it opens the door to some seriously twisted storytelling.
This marks the first time Pattinson has actually given fans something concrete about his role. Up until now, the actor kept things very on-brand vague, previously joking that he "did not have a single functioning brain cell" while filming in the desert. Not exactly helpful, but definitely funny.
Story-wise, Dune: Part Three is expected to jump forward in time following the events of Dune: Part Two. That means we’ll be meeting a more seasoned version of Paul Atreides, now carrying the weight of leadership.
Timothée Chalamet hinted at that evolution, saying, "I am playing older. And also someone who's been impacted by years of leadership and carries that weight. It's different."
The returning cast features familiar faces, including Zendaya as Chani, Florence Pugh as Irulan, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar.
With Scytale entering the mix, though, things might not be as clear-cut as hero versus villain.
If Pattinson leans into that uncertainty, we could be looking at one of the more fascinating characters in the entire saga. Someone who doesn’t play by the usual rules and keeps everyone guessing.
Dune: Part Three hits theaters on December 18.