Los Angeles, April 9 (IANS) Hollywood star Robert Pattinson may soon onboard the upcoming part of the superhit ‘Dune’ franchise. Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has his sights set on the A-lister to join the starry ensemble cast of ‘Dune: Messiah’.

As Villeneuve puts the finishing touches on the script for the next “Dune” installment ahead of a summer shoot, sources say that there’s interest in having Pattinson join the project, starring Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, reports ‘Variety’.

However, no formal offer has been presented, and it is unknown who he would play. The production company, Legendary, had no comment.

As per ‘Variety’, Robert Pattinson recently co-starred with Zendaya in the A24 film ‘The Drama’, and is currently filming Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of ‘The Odyssey’. He’s also the star of ‘The Batman’, with a sequel set to open in theaters in 2027. Robert Pattinson is represented by WME, 3 Arts Entertainment, Curtis Brown Group and attorney Robert Offer.

Last year, Legendary confirmed that development on ‘Dune 3’ was underway following the blockbuster success of ‘Dune: Part 2’. The first two films have earned a combined $1.12 billion at the global box office and won eight Oscars from 15 nominations, with both earning best picture nods.

‘Deadline’ was first to report about the interest for Robert Pattinson by the makers of ‘Dune’. Villeneuve’s “Dune” movies have also proven to be a magnet for top talent, including Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgard, Léa Seydoux, Charlotte Rampling, Dave Bautista and Christopher Walken.

Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor-Joy are among the stars expected to return for the third installment, which takes place a dozen years after the events of ‘Part 2’. Jason Momoa also recently revealed that he’ll reprise his role as Duncan Idaho.