Austin Butler has taken the world by storm as Elvis in Elvis, but fans of the show shouldn’t expect to hear the iconic drawl of the King as Austin takes the stage once more in Dune 2. Butler, who’s currently holding an Oscar nomination spot for his performance in Elvis, is reported to be joining the film alongside Stellan Skarsgård and Dave Bautista, who has called the transformation in his demeanor “terrifying”.
Austin Butler first rose into the limelight with his leading performance as Elvis Presley in Elvis (2022), a deep-diving biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Tom Hanks and Olivia DeJonge alongside Butler. In a review of the film, Lisa Marie Presley – Elvis’s daughter – called Austin Butler’s portrayal of her father “unprecedented and FINALLY done accurately and respectfully”, adding that Butler “channeled and embodied my father’s heart and soul beautifully.”
Since Elvis‘s release in June 2022, Austin Butler has been awarded an AACTA Award, an Academy Award, a Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award for his performance as Elvis, with yet more awards – including an Oscar and a BAFTA Award – still pending. In his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes last month, Butler reportedly said he didn’t think he sounded like Elvis, but years of method acting and prep work where Butler fully encased himself in Elvis’ life beg to differ, according to Variety.
“I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time,” he said. “I had three years where [Elvis] was my only focus in life, so I’m sure there’s just pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way.”
Austin Butler’s Transformation for ‘Dune: Part Two’ is ‘Terrifying’
However, no matter how much Austin Butler sounded like Elvis during Elvis, his co-stars in the upcoming Dune: Part= 2 say that not only does Butler not sound like Elvis during the film, he doesn’t sound like himself.
Dave Bautista, who will reprise his role as Glossu Rabban Harkonnen from Dune (2021), has called Butler’s total shift in demeanor “terrifying”, telling USA Today “I don’t know who this guy was, but it’s not Austin Butler. It’s not Elvis. His voice is different, his look is different. Everything about his demeanor is terrifying.”
Austin Butler joins the cast of Dune 2 as Feyd-Rautha, Rabban Harkonnen’s sadistic brother and nephew to Baron Harkonnen, played by Stellan Skarsgård. Not much is known about his specific role, but Dave Bautista has gone on record calling Dune: Part 2 a more “amped up” version of the original film, both in terms of his own character and the franchise as a whole.
Dune: Part 2 starring Austin Bulter is currently slated for release on November 3rd, 2023.
