MovieChat Forums > Dune: Part One (2021) Discussion > Who did the casting?

Who did the casting?

posted 3 years ago by [deleted]
46 replies | jump to latest

While some of the choices weren't what I would have hoped for, I'm still struck by the stupidity of casting Rebecca Ferguson as the mother. Given she's only 12 year older than the actor playing her son what the fuck were they thinking? In the future 11 year olds are being fucked? Sorry but their are a lot of women that are attractive and older and wouldn't have looked more like Paul's sister than his mother. This just made me wonder if the casting couch was the reason she got the part because she doesn't look right for part at the most basic level - age.

[–] pzogel (188) 3 years ago

The age difference between Francesca Annis and Kyle MacLachlan was similarly small in the 1984 version, and I don't recall many taking issue with that. Lady Jessica is supposed to be a somewhat ethereal figure. If anything, Ferguson looked older than Annis did.

If we're talking about age discrepancy, I rather find Oscar Isaac to be unfitting, as he neither is nor looks old enough to portray Leto. I also had a hard time taking him seriously as a fatherly Duke when it came to demeanor and parlance. By comparison, Jurgen Prochnow was much more convincing in the same role back in 1984.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

The casting the original movie was also shit. Frankly in both of them Paul is too old, in the book he was 15... Neither Kyle or Timothee look young enough.

[–] OldG (853) 3 years ago

WHAT??? Timothée does look 15... okay maybe not 15 but not far off... if you ask me...

[–] trevorh321 (5495) 3 years ago

He does look 15. And about as feminine as they come.

[–] OldG (853) 3 years ago

Exactly... I don't not think you can find an adult actor with more boyish looks than Timothée...

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

The Harry Potter guy.

[–] OldG (853) 3 years ago

yeah... but you can't cast Harry Potter in Dune;-)

[–] LanceDance (1391) 3 years ago

Tom Holland

[–] OldG (853) 3 years ago

True he also looks like a kid... but I still think Timothée was a good choice...

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

I can only go by the friends of my kids in high school who would be between 15 and 16, and Timothee doesn't look like any of them he looks older. At best like a college age guy but not a 15 year old high schooler.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

He might be 15 but if the world isn't as peaceful as today's, people can look much older. If he looked like a highschooler it would be unrealistic at all.

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 3 years ago

He passes for a 15-17 year old.

[–] asom (6894) 3 years ago

He looks 15 just like I look 19 ... not at all. To me he looks like a 21-22

[–] OldG (853) 3 years ago

Okay... to me he can still pass as a teenager...

[–] almonigal (1293) 3 years ago

You base your hopes on WHAT exactly ? In the book there is a lot of inbreeding and weird crap, duh, its sci fi, now some casting choice warped your innocent little brain or what ?

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

I have no hopes, I'm simply pointing out the poor casting which smacks of someone doing it without ever bothering to read the books. If you don't know the source material you can't hope to create a decent adaptation of it. Paul should be 15 years old, does a 24 year old look 15? Hardly.

[–] almonigal (1293) 3 years ago

Still better than 1984 version, or the mini series. In the mini series that guy look like he is in his 40's.

[–] Indiscipline (775) 3 years ago

Whether or not she actually is, she does look old enough to be his mother. Probably had a hard life.

[–] pjl69 (2647) 3 years ago

Actors being older/younger than they actually are is one of the basics in movie making and acting. The casting must be ok if that's the only complaint you can come up.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Then let me put it this way, the actors apparent age difference is not clear enough to make sense. Or do you think it would be fine and dandy if you had Elle Fanning playing the mother of Anthony Hopkins. The simple fact is casting needs to be done in such a way that when you see the actors playing mother and son, that they appear to have a wide enough age disparity for it to be believable. The casting in this movie fails to do that. Is that clear enough for you dumbass?

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 3 years ago

Or do you think it would be fine and dandy if you had Elle Fanning playing the mother of Anthony Hopkins.

Absurd response.

[–] elcamino (15540) 3 years ago

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAPIkWC.img?h=416&w=799&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f&x=466&y=134

[–] AP (5295) 3 years ago

Sally Field played Tom Hanks’ mom in Forrest Gump and she is actually younger than him. Alexander had a similar situation between the main actor and his “mother”.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Sorry to break it to you, but Sally Field is older than Tom Hanks. Was older when the movie was made was still older today. You might want to check things as simple as birthdates before you go spouting off nonsense.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6357) 3 years ago

Sean Connery and Harrison Ford in last Crusade. What was their age difference? Enough said.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

12 years, not really enough. But then they were both old farts and when you have old fart past 40 or 50 no one can tell by looking how old they really are. If you look at the actor playing Paul and the actress playing Jessica you don't see mother and son you see brother and sister because they simply don't look far enough apart in their age.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6357) 3 years ago

Nope I disagree. Regardless the movie is getting great reviews I will take their word over yours. I will be checking it out this weekend.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Give it a shot if you want... just be ready for a major let down when the movie abruptly stops. Whether they will ever create part 2 or not is anyone's guess.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6357) 3 years ago

Given that it is the director of Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 I feel I am in good hands.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Given your list you know you only have a 50/50 chance of it being good... sadly it isn't.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6357) 3 years ago

All those films are great. All of those have great user and critical scores. You are in the minority.

[–] AP (5295) 3 years ago

Okay, but they are still way too close in age to be mother and son which is my point.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Yes they are too close... but if you actually watched the movie you would also notice that they were using makeup to try and make on both of them to make them look older and younger in different parts of the movie because the time span within the movie was so large. Thankfully they didn't try to use Hanks when Forest was in middle school. Would it have been better if they used different actors to play all of them throughout the movie? Maybe, but it was probably easier to just try and use makeup to adjust the ages. They didn't even bother trying that in Dune.

[–] AP (5295) 3 years ago

Paul’s mom wasn’t supposed to be an old lady. I thought she looked old enough to have a 15 year old kid, though. She could have passed for being in the 40-45 range (and Fergusson isn’t too far behind that age group). Meanwhile, Timothee C looks like a teenager. I was surprised to learn her was 25.

[–] avigalidou (618) 3 years ago

Alexander was 3-13-18 at the start of the film so they needed a young actress as his mother the same applies in Dune 1984 and 2021 Paul is supposedly 15 in this even though Soylamet was 24 in 2019

[–] Capnbucky (2218) 3 years ago

Well it was Patrick Dempsey

[–] elcamino (15540) 3 years ago

https://scontent-hou1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/p180x540/247015705_254740883475207_5761331601813487046_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=W9oCQ-lXm54AX-jm_fe&_nc_ht=scontent-hou1-1.xx&oh=e375b2e1bdee53248291e3a01a84676c&oe=61944E8D