In news that won’t be surprising for those who’ve read Frank Herbert’s novels, Jason Momoa, who played Duncan Idaho in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One, will be coming back for the filmmaker’s third movie in the franchise, Dune Messiah.
In an interview with Collider to promote his upcoming movie Minecraft, Momoa answered as follows when asked if we’ll see him in Villeneuve’s third Dune film:
“Well, I’m not sure if I’m going to get in trouble or not. But it’s the same thing like Game of Thrones, you know what I mean? If you didn’t read the books, it’s not my fault, right? I’m making a comeback. You got me in trouble!”
[Spoilers below for those who haven’t read the books yet!]
Momoa is likely referencing the plot point from Herbert’s books, where Duncan comes back as a ghola, an artificially created clone that could be manufactured from just one cell of a deceased individual. In the books, Paul Atreides is gifted a Duncan ghola who, initially lacking his memories of being Duncan, is programmed to work against Paul. High-stakes political intrigue ensues.
We don’t know yet if Momoa’s ghola version of Duncan will look markedly different than his portrayal of the OG version in Dune: Part One, including whether this ghola-Duncan will sport a beard or not, a facial garnishment that Momoa’s character inexplicably loses in the first film.
We’ll be able to assess Momoa’s facial hair ourselves in a year and a half: Dune Messiah is currently slated to premiere in theaters on December 18, 2026.
