As shooting gets underway on Dune: Part 3, the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, returning cast member Jason Momoa is prepping to come back, but not exactly as who you’d think he’d be… or looking the way you’d expect.
An Instagram post shows Momoa shaving to mark his return to the Dune franchise, a journey he began six years ago. It’s a stunt to celebrate the anniversary, which began at the same time as his collaboration with environmentally friendly aluminum water bottle purveyors Mananalu.
The clip shows him doing his least favorite thing—shaving his facial hair—which he does while discussing the importance of reducing single-use plastics. He admits that being clean-shaven is something he’d do “only for you, Denis,” referring to Dune franchise helmer Denis Villeneuve.
Momoa continued, “Goddammit! I hate it.” But as Dune mythology fans know, the move is essential for the actor’s comeback to the Dune universe. Without giving too much away, in the first film, Momoa played Duncan Idaho, House Atreides’ faithful swordmaster and guard who trained Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and served under his father, Leto (Oscar Isaac). He presumably dies while taking out a whole lot of the Emperor’s Sardaukar soldiers.
While we don’t see it happen, the circumstances of his end there (because in the book he explicitly dies) lead to an explanation of how his body was then given to the Tleilaxu. In the Dune universe they are known for their clones, known as Gholas, which will come into play in Dune 3 as Paul rises to power. It’s also neat to see that Momoa’s return as someone completely loyal to the House Atreides will probably be endeared to Paul’s son Leto II, played by his real-life son Nakoa-Wolf Momoa.
Stay tuned here at io9 for the latest Dune: Part 3 news.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.