Michael McWhertor
is a journalist with more than 17 years of experience covering video games, technology, movies, TV, and entertainment.
Paul Atreides and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen will meet in a battle of blades in Dune: Part Two next year. But in a delightful video released Wednesday, the actors behind those characters, Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler, fought for supremacy in a match of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It’s an up-close and all-too-brief look at Chalamet’s personal gaming style and what could be Butler’s first time holding a video game controller.
Which is to say that Chalamet — the lanky heartthrob who used to dabble in Xbox 360 controller modification on a YouTube channel called ModdedController360 in his teen years — definitely has the upper hand on Butler. The man who is about to become Wonka, draped in vest of leather, welcomes Butler to the gun show in a match that’s supposed to be knives only, Timothée.
You can see Chalamet delight in his kills, leaping up to walk off his adrenaline while the calm, cool Elvisian Butler struggles to keep up. Or at least that’s how the match went in my mind. Activision’s cut of their showdown on the map Rust is diplomatic to both actors, but Timmy wins in the end. Chalamet, ever gracious, hits Austin with a few GGs, showing he’s a real gamer. (Release the footage of Timothée teabagging Austin in Call of Duty, Activision.)
Oh yeah, Paul Atreides and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen are also coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty: Warzone. That’s what this video is ostensibly about, so if you’re interested in playing as Maud’dib or proclaiming “I WILL KILL HIM!” on behalf of House Harkonnen, those Dune characters will be available in two bundles. The Paul Atreides one is available now, and the Feyd-Rautha one is dropping in Call of Duty on Dec. 16.
We were supposed to have already seen Dune: Part Two, which was originally scheduled for release in the fall. It’s since been delayed to March 1, 2024. You can catch Chalamet in Wonka starting Dec. 15, and Butler in The Bikeriders next June. You can also watch the first part of Denis Villenueve’s Dune, which is streaming on Netflix or Max currently, to pass the time.
Source: Polygon
