Florence Pugh in talks to play Princess Irulan opposite Timothée Chalamet in Dune: Part 2

Florence Pugh is in talks to join the second part to Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated sci-fi film Dune. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, if the deal comes through, Pugh will star alongside Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem, who are reprising their roles in the sequel.

The report adds that Pugh is in negotiations to star as Princess Irulan, the daughter of the Emperor who romances Chalamet's Paul Atreides. 

However, the script is still in progress and the actor is waiting on the latest draft. Scheduling may also be an issue as Legendary Pictures intends to begin shooting in the summer, and this may clash with Pugh who is in line to play Madonna in an upcoming biopic.

The Hollywood Reporter adds that the location of the shoot may also pose as a hurdle. Dune was shot primarily in Hungary, and the makers intend to film the follow-up there as well. But as the country is close to Ukraine, which is in the middle of a crisis, whether or not it will cause an issue to filming projects is something yet to be known.

Among other roles that the makers of Dune are casting is that of Emperor Shaddam IV, the ruler who sends the Atreides family to Arrakis, and Feyd-Rautha, the nephew of the baron who heads House Harkonnen.

Dune is based on Frank Herbert's novel of the same name. After its release, the film made $400 million at the global box office and went on to grab 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.  

Pugh was last seen as Yelena Romanoff in the Marvel-Disney series Hawkeye. Her other upcoming projects include Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer with Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Matt Damon, Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling, and Sebastián Lelio’s The Wonder.

Hawkeye is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.