A recent casting report for Dune: Messiah confirms a certain character’s return from 2021’s Dune. The casting should not come as a surprise to readers of the novels, but for casual viewers it may be unexpected.

Spoilers for Dune and Dune: Messiah

A fan favorite character from the first film, Duncan Idaho, will be making his return in Messiah. Jason Momoa will be reprising the role. In the Dune universe, a race known as the Bene Tleilax introduces the technology of Ghola to Paul. Gholas are artificial copies of deceased people which can be implanted with memories. When a Ghola for Duncan Idaho is presented to Paul in the novel, he accepts and essentially receives a new Duncan Idaho. With the memories of his previous self, it should not be too difficult for Momoa to slip back into the role. However, it will be interesting to see the nuances of his character as an artificial copy.

Pre-production has already begun for Dune: Messiah, as director Denis Villeneuve has confirmed it as his next film. Filming is set to begin this summer. Alongside Jason Momoa, much of the cast from the previous films are expected to return, including Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem and Anya Taylor-Joy. The film is currently slated for a December 2026 release.