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'Dune' Updates: Chani Casting Rumors, Roger Deakins Exits

Sounds like things are moving along on Legendary Pictures upcoming Dune reboot project with director Denis Villeneuve, with one or two notable updates.

'Dune' Updates: Chani Casting Rumors, Roger Deakins Exits

The first being that it appears cinematographer and longtime Villeneuve collaborator Roger Deakins will NOT be the eye behind the lense on this project. Deakins picked up an Oscar for his most recent collab with Villeneuve, Blade Runner: 2049.

According to IndieWire, Greig Fraser (Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryZero Dark Thirty) will be stepping in to take Deakins' place.

The second bit of news from Arrakis has to do with Chani, Fremen warrior and chosen concubine of Muad Dib.

According to OmegaUnderground, the listing for Chani's casting reads:

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.

Which is interesting; we've been surmising that perhaps Legendary wouldn't go the traditional route, and would instead pick an actress of non-white background.

This plays into a report from IKnowBrow that actress/model Mary Herman, who we know auditioned for the role, may be the early favorite to play Chani.

Only the big ones go so deep….into rumor territory.

We'll of course keep you updated when we hear anything new about Dune, which at present still has an expected release date sometime in 2020, with filming expected to start as early as February of 2019.


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Mary Anne ButlerAbout Mary Anne Butler

Bleeding Cool News Editor Mary Anne Butler (Mab, for short) has been part of the fast-paced world of journalism since she was 15, getting her start in album reviews and live concert coverage for a nationally published (print) music magazine. She eventually transitioned to online media, writing for such sites as UGO/IGN, ComicsOnline, Geek Magazine, Ace of Geeks, Aggressive Comix (where she is still Editor-in-Chief), and most recently Bleeding Cool. 

Over the past 10 years, she’s built a presence at conventions across the globe as a cosplayer (occasionally), photographer (constantly), panelist and moderator (mostly), and reporter (always). 

 Interviews, reviews, observations, breaking news, and objective reporting are the name of the game for the founder of Harkonnen Knife Fight, a Dune-themed band with an international presence. 

 Though she be but little, she is fierce. #MabTheProfessional
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