Frank Herbert's Dune was once deemed unfilmable due to its overwhelming thematic complexity and larger-than-life storyline. But under the wing of Denis Villeneuve, the impossible was achieved, and the sci-fi epic was successfully adapted for the big screen. Still, some fans believe Villeneuve should have picked Saoirse Ronan over Florence Pugh for a key role in Dune 2.
With Dune: Part 2 now in pre-production, the expectations on Villeneuve are higher than ever. While most fans trust his vision, some have questioned the creative choices he has made so far for the sequel. Most recently, his decision to cast Pugh as Princess Irulan has been highly debated on social media, with several people saying the role would be much better suited for Pugh's Little Women co-star, Ronan.
In the books, Princess Irulan is the daughter of Shaddam Corrino IV, the 81st Padishah Emperor, and Anirul, a Bene Gesserit of unknown rank. She is particularly important to the story of Paul Atreides, the protagonist of Dune played by Timothee Chalamet, as she eventually becomes his wife and personal biographer. While Pugh is a talented actress and certainly no stranger to sci-fi, some fans say she is not at all what they imagine Princess Irulan to look like.
Ronan, on the other hand, is apparently a closer match to the physical description of Princess Irulan that is given in the books: "a tall blond woman, green-eyed, a face of Patrician beauty, classic in its hauteur, untouched by tears, completely undefeated." Not only this, but she has portrayed royalty before in her career as the star of 2018's Mary Queen of Scots. One commenter pointed out that Mary, Ronan's character in the film, was smart, resourceful, and competent, much like the Bene Gesserit are in Dune. Ronan has also been involved in sci-fi and action films such as The Host and the underrated Hanna, so she would fit right into Dune's otherworldly universe.
Additionally, Ronan has worked with Chalamet on multiple films in the past, including 2017's Lady Bird, for which she received an Academy Award nomination. That said, chemistry won't be an issue with Pugh and Chalamet, though some fans have noted that the relationship between Princess Irulan and Paul Atreides in the books is a forced one, so chemistry, in this case, might be unimportant. Still, it will be interesting to see what Pugh brings to the character in the upcoming sequel. If the books are any indication, she may end up not having that much screen time anyway, since Princess Irulan was not really a central character in the first novel.
Dune: Part II is scheduled to release in theaters on October 20, 2023.
Source: BedouinTraveller/Reddit