Jason Momoa has revealed that he played no part in his son getting cast in the forthcoming Dune film and that he “did it on his own”.
Nakoa-Wolf Momoa is set to make his film debut in the third instalment of Denis Villeneuve‘s epic space opera trilogy, alongside lead actor Timothée Chalamet and Euphoria star Zendaya as Leto II, son of Paul Atreides and Chani.
His casting was revealed in June, along with the news that his on-screen twin sister, Ghanima, will be portrayed by Ida Brooke.
Momoa expressed his happiness on his son’s casting and emphasised that he wanted Nakoa-Wolf to be independent.
“A rude awakening is what he’s in for. He’s into the workforce for the first time. It’s going to be good. He did it on his own. I don’t want to help him, and he’s done it all on his own, and good for him,” Momoa told Extra at the Chief of War premiere in Kapolei, Hawaii.
“You want your children to be better than you, and I really, actually believe he is. I couldn’t do what he’s doing at his age. There’s no way I could sit in a room with Denis Villeneuve and hold my own. I was on Baywatch at 19. He’s 16 and holding s*** down with Denis Villeneuve.”
Momoa, who shares his son and a 17-year-old daughter with ex-wife Lisa Bonet, is also reprising his role of Duncan Idaho in the film.
“We raised him beautiful. We raised our children… It’s just, you know, being loved and being confident in themselves… That is what he is. He’s very confident,” Momoa added.
Momoa had shared in 2021 that he snuck an Easter egg into the first film in tribute to his son. Idaho’s martial arts moves were heavily inspired by the Filipino national martial art of Kali.
In an interview with IndieWire, Momoa said that he “never really learned” the martial art style prior to Dune, though his son knew it well.
“My son does that,” Momoa said. “There’s definitely these intimate moments where I’m signalling to my son. That’s a Kali move, where you put your hand on your heart and put it on your head. That’s to Timothée in the movie, but that’s to my son in real life.”
The Dune series, an adaption of Frank Herbert’s award-winning science fiction novels, follows Paul Atreides as his family is thrown into a war for the inhospitable desert planet Arrakis.
In the third part of the franchise Dune: Messiah, which takes place 12 years after the events of Dune: Part Two, Momoa’s character is brought back as Hayt, a clone of his former self, and presented to Paul.
In the first film, Idaho sacrifices himself to allow Paul and his mother Jessica, played by Rebecca Ferguson, time to escape an ambush, similar to how he dies in the Frank Herbert novel that the Denis Villeneuve-directed film is adapted from. He did not reprise his role in Dune: Part Two, which released in 2024.
The Dune franchise, based on Frank Herbert’s award-winning novel series, has become a huge hit for Warner Bros, with Dune: Part Two earning more than $700m (£555m) worldwide and five Oscar nominations. The initial film had also scored ten Oscar nomination back in 2022, securing eight awards, including Best Original score and Best Cinematography.
Dune: Messiah is expected to premiere on the big screen on 16 December 2026.
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