WWE Fan Timothee Chalamet Geeked Out Over Working With Dave Bautista On Dune

Dave Bautista in Dune

Denis Villeneuve's Dune finally released its long-awaited trailer and now fans who have been waiting for the new adaptation are that much more excited. This was our first real look at what the film will really be beyond a few still images. If nothing else, it showed off the new movie's absolutely incredible cast that will bring the characters of Frank Herbert's novel to life. And you don't have to take our word for it, as even other members of the Dune cast were impressed by the people they were working with. This goes especially for Timothee Chalmet, who more than anybody else was excited to see Dave Bautista on set.

It turns out that Timothee Chalmet is a WWE fan, and so he knew Dave Bautista from his time in WWE as the multi-time champion Batista. In a recent Dune press conference, Chalamet explained to CinemaBlend that he was quite excited to work with the former sports entertainer, not only because he was a fan of the man, but he also was a fan of the fact Bautista was clearly excited to be working with Denis Villeneuve again. According to Chalemet...

Dave Bautista, who had also worked on Blade Runner 2049, was working on Dune as well, playing Glossu Rabban. But coming into his trailer, I grew up a massive WWE fan, and I never met Bautista, let alone Bautista without his WWE trunks on, let alone Bautista, the real human! And his excitement being there, having already worked with Denis -- when you see an actor that's already worked with a director and is more humbled than ever, and is more excited to be there than ever … for me, it just kind of set the bar on these kinds of movies. It was inspiring. And it was inspiring from the actor that Battista was, in getting to play a Harkonnen. But also knowing that this is a guy I grew up with who was kicking ass on TV every Friday night. Going to work with him was a real joy, to me.

It's one thing to find yourself working alongside your favorite WWE superstar, but it seems that what really had Timothee Chalamet excited was that Dave Bautista had already worked with Denis Villeneuve once before, on Blade Runner 2049, and was back to work with him again on the director's next film, and excited to do so. For Chalamet, who had not worked with the director before, it was a positive sign for the film as a whole.

While Dave Bautista certainly became a name in WWE first, he's perhaps the most unique of those who have made the transition from the wrestling ring to the big screen. While most wrestlers go the route of the action hero before attempting to branch out, Bautista has found a wide variety of roles more quickly that his contemporaries like Dwayne Johnson or John Cena. He's done more with supporting roles and serious dramatic performances than either of them. In Dune, Bautsitsa will play Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, nephew of the film's chief antagonist, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, who will be played by Stellan Skarsgård in the new movie.

Dune is set to arrive in theaters December 18.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.