Robert Pattinson just confirmed what fans have been speculating about for months—he’s officially part of Dune 3. But here’s the kicker: the desert heat was so intense during filming that he basically became a human vegetable. And honestly? He found it kind of relaxing.
During a recent interview with IndieWire, the Batman star opened up about his experience shooting Denis Villeneuve‘s highly anticipated Dune: Part Three. Turns out, working under the blazing sun in the Arabian desert was quite the trip. “When I was doing Dune it was so hot in the desert that I just couldn’t question anything,” Pattinson revealed. “And it was so relaxing, like my brain actually wasn’t operating. I did not have a single functioning brain cell.”
That’s right—Robert Pattinson literally had zero brain cells functioning while filming one of Hollywood’s biggest sci-fi franchises. But wait, there’s more. The actor continued, explaining how the heat made him incredibly receptive to director Denis Villeneuve’s vision. “And I was just listening to Denis [Villeneuve]: ‘Whatever you want!'” he added with what we can only imagine was a slightly dazed expression.
Now, if you’re thinking this sounds absolutely brutal, you’re not wrong. The Dune franchise has become notorious for putting its actors through the wringer in the desert. Austin Butler, who played Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Part Two, previously told Entertainment Weekly that people were literally passing out from heatstroke during his first week on set. “It was 110 degrees and so hot,” Butler said, describing how the environment turned into “a microwave” between soundstages.
Meanwhile, Zendaya shared her own horror story about filming in Jordan’s desert heat. She admitted to suffering heatstroke after deliberately not drinking enough water because her heavy Fremen warrior costume was such a nightmare to get out of for bathroom breaks. Talk about dedication to the craft.
Pattinson’s role in Dune 3 remains under wraps, though rumors suggest he might be playing Scytale, a key antagonist from Frank Herbert‘s Dune Messiah novel. What we do know is that he’ll be joining returning stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, and Josh Brolin when the film hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
So there you have it—Robert Pattinson survived the desert, lost all his brain cells in the process, and somehow that made for a zen-like filming experience. We can’t wait to see what he and the rest of the cast cooked up out there in the hot, unforgiving sand.
