Zendaya may join the star-studded cast of Denis Villeneuve's Dune adaptation.
Multiple sources told Collider the 22-year-old actress is in early negotations to play Chani, a Freman warrior and love interest to Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides. If Zendaya secures the role, she will join a cast that also includes Stellan Skarsgård, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, and likely Oscar Isaac.
The film is based on Frank Herbert's acclaimed 1965 sci-fi novel of the same name. The story—which explores themes like religion, politics, and nature—follows Arteides as he leads a rebellion to restore his family's control over the desert planet Arrakis. David Lynch directed the 1984 film adaptation of Dune; however, the now-cult classic was critically panned upon its debut.
Velleneuve teased the direction of his film version during an interview with Fandom last year. "Most of the main ideas of Star Wars are coming from Dune so it’s going to be a challenge to [tackle] this," the director of Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 said. "The ambition is to do the Star Wars movie I never saw. In a way, it’s Star Wars for adults. We'll see."
Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts have signed on to pen the script, with Villeneuve, Mary Parent, and Cale Boyter co-producing. Dune will also be exectuive produced by Brian and Kim Herbert, the son and granddaughter of Herbert.
The release date for the Dune reboot has not been announced.
Zendaya will star in this year's Spider-Man: Far From Home as well as the HBO drama Euphoria, which will be executive produced by Drake.
