One Of This Generation's Burgeoning Horror Icons Almost Joined Denis Villeneuve's Dune

Denis Villeneuve is the kind of director actors seek out. Much like his buddy Christopher Nolan (who Villeneuve considers a master of the craft), the French Canadian filmmaker has earned enough name recognition to bring hordes to the theater — which is exactly what he did with his two "Dune" movies. The supposedly "un-filmable" saga, first told in Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, was rendered in stunning detail across 2021's "Dune" and 2024's "Dune: Part Two," with Villeneuve reminding us of not only why he's one of today's pre-eminent directors, but of his knack for sci-fi storytelling.

Of course, it helped that the movie featured two of today's biggest stars, with Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in the roles of Paul Atreides and Chani respectively. The pair's involvement ensured the admittedly dense lore of "Dune" wasn't entirely overlooked by younger generations, who flocked to theaters to see the young stars and propelled "Dune: Part Two" in particular to box office dominance.

But it seems the Villeneuve wasn't always set on Zendaya for the role of Fremen warrior Chani. When casting the film, the director actually met with another young star who has since become a burgeoning horror icon, raising the intriguing question of how this young actor's career would have played out had she landed the role in Villeneuve's blockbuster duo.

Jenna Ortega's journey from Disney princess to scream queen has been a joy to watch unfold. Starting her career with roles in the Disney Channel's "Elena of Avalor" and "Stuck in the Middle," the actor has since transmogrified into a goth girl icon, beginning with her role on season 2 of Netflix's "You" and in 2020's "The Babysitter: Killer Queen." But it wasn't until 2022 that Ortega really established herself as the new queen of horror, starring in "Scream," Ti West's "X," and Netflix's "Wednesday" in quick succession. All of this prompted Vogue to describe the young star as "the ultimate new-age goth girl" — a title she cemented when she played the daughter of Winona Ryder's Lydia Deetz in 2023's "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice."

But that career trajectory could have looked very different. In fact, had Ortega landed a role in Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" adaptations, she might not have become the bona fide scream queen she is today. In a Buzzfeed interview, the actor revealed that she thinks she auditioned for "Dune" when she was roughly 15. Why is she not sure? Because the audition was a pretty furtive affair, with Ortega adding, "I think it was Chani. I think it was Zendaya's [role]. But they weren't saying that. Everything was very secret." The actor went on to say that she was a "big fan" of the "Dune" franchise and was "really excited" to meet Villeneuve, as he's one of her favorite filmmakers.

Filming for "Dune" began in 2019, and at the time, Jenna Ortega was busy. The actor, who is now 22, was filming "The Babysitter: Killer Queen" and would have been gearing up to shoot "Scream" in 2020. The latter was arguably the first big step towards establishing her status as a new horror icon, and was quickly followed by her role in "X." Had she been committed to "Dune," neither of these movies would likely have happened.

Production on "Dune" was a vast, multi-year process, with Denis Villeneuve paying fastidious attention to detail, right down to the specific sand used for each scene. Creating the planet Arrakis for "Dune: Part Two" left Villeneuve and his production team sand-traumatized; production designer Patrice Vermette even found himself carrying jars of sand around to ensure certain shots matched. While Ortega wouldn't have been involved in this process, she would still have been committed to two massive sci-fi films that demanded a lot from its actors, including lengthy shoots in remote locations.

With filming on "Dune: Part Two" commencing in 2022, there's also the question of whether Ortega would have been involved with "Wednesday," yet another crucial moment in her scream queen ascension. Frankly, then, I think I can speak for us all when I say Ortega's career has worked out exactly how it should.