The cast of Dune: Then and Now
It was once regarded "impossible to adapt" to film, but Denis Villeneuve has proven Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi novel Dune is not only adaptable, it can make a killing at the box office too.
Dune: Part One, released in 2021, made over $653 million worldwide during its theatrical run and its sequel, Dune: Part Two, which released in March 2024, has already grossed over $600 million.
But before Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya lit up our screens on the sand-covered planet of Arrakis, legendary director David Lynch made his own star-studded film adaptation in 1984. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near as successful.
Keep reading to see the cast of the original Dune movie compared to their modern counterparts, as well as where they all are now.
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
Austin Butler cut a very intimidating and unnerving figure as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Dune: Part Two.
Sting, on the other hand, looked slightly absurd when he took the same role in 1984, and not just because of his bright orange hair.
The Police frontman infamously wore a leather-look codpiece in the '80s version of the film, a costuming decision that has been ridiculed in the decades since.
Sting was only drawn to the project because of director David Lynch's involvement, or so he told Rolling Stone in 1983.
"I didn't really want to do the movie, because I didn't think it was wise for me to be in an enormous movie. I'd rather keep a groundswell building up in my movie career," he said.
"Then I met David, and I loved him. He's a madman in sheep's clothing, and I just felt I had to do the movie because I know he's going to do something extraordinary."
The flick didn't do much for Sting's movie career, but the legendary musician still turned up for the Dune: Part Two premiere in 2024 with daughter Mickey Sumner in tow.
He even met Butler and offered him an iconic piece of memorabilia from the 1984 film.
"He came up afterward, and he was so, so, lovely and just debonair," Butler revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
"I asked him about [starring in the original Dune movie] and he said he still has the codpiece from the original [Dune], he said he's going to dry clean it and let me wear it if I want to."
Paul Atreides
Timothée Chalamet wowed audiences with his powerful portrayal of Paul Atreides in blockbuster hits Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two, but almost 40 years earlier Kyle MacLachlan got a different reaction.
The 1984 version of the film was widely panned and though it grossed over $US30 million (equivalent to $US87 million now, approx. $131 million) against a $40–42 million budget, it was a box office disappointment.
"Dune didn't really turn out that well," MacLachlan admitted during an appearance for the Criterion Collection Closet Picks series.
"In fact, after that, I kind of felt like a pariah in business. No work, no nothing."
The original '80s Paul came face-to-face with his 2021 counterpart after the Oscars, when MacLachlan and Chalamet posed for this fun snap.
In the photo, which was shared to Dune editor Joe Walker's Instagram, shows the two actors posing in the same way Paul does in the films when he delivers the iconic line, "May thy knife chip and shatter".
Meanwhile, Chalamet is relishing his role as Paul in the new flicks.
"This is a young man stepping into his role amongst the Fremen people and then beyond that – stepping into a leadership role that he's not necessarily keen on but called to and steps into," he said in a GamesRadar+
Chani
Viewers were quickly drawn to Zendaya in the role of Chani in the Dune reboot.
Sci fi darling Sean Young played in the same role in the 1984 version of the film, which came out two years after the other sci-fi flick that made her famous – Blade Runner.
Young continued to act after Dune flopped, though she later hinted the film was the first (and one of the only) big blunders in director David Lynch's career.
"He was a little spoiled in that he'd only made great movies up to then," she said in behind-the-scenes footage from the film's set she shared in 2010.
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