As the highly anticipated Dune remake steadily approaches, fantasy and sci-fi fans are chomping at the bit to get tastes of Frank Herbert’s reimagined world almost 40 years after David Lynch first brought the novels to life on screen. With Denis Villeneuve’s new film inching closer to release, cast member Rebecca Ferguson is explaining how her fighting scenes as Lady Jessica differ from the sequences she's used to doing in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Rebecca Ferguson should be used to playing strong, leading female characters in projects, by now. She’s the leading lady in the newer Mission: Impossible films opposite Tom Cruise, and she’s no stranger to some pretty heated, fast paced fight scenes. Apparently, though, the fighting in Dune is pretty different both visually and physically for a few key reasons.
Over the years, the Mission: Impossible franchise has given audiences some of the most thrilling fight scenes in all of cinema. Each of these sequences are heavily choreographed, and the results are quite stunning. But in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rebecca Ferguson explained that when it comes to Dune, the combat isn't quite as involved. Here’s what the actress says, in her own words:
I love the fighting we do in Mission. It's hard, it's beautiful, it's amazing to do, but it's really choreographed. The fighting in Dune is for necessity. It's not an elongated fighting sequence; it's a quick disarm to prove your point or prove your power. So everything is at such different levels than what I'm used to.
This explanation from the actress totally makes sense, seeing as characters in Dune have more than just physical fighting prowess - they have actual powers. While they don't seem to be purely magical powers, Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica is a part of a Sisterhood, whose members possess abilities beyond those of normal humans. The fact that she can weaponize her words makes her fighting technique much different than that of Ferguson’s Mission: Impossible character, Ilsa Faust, who fights solely through physical means and exists in a world where humans obviously don't have fantastical abilities.
It won’t be long until we can see Rebecca Ferguson in action as Lady Jessica, as Dune is set to release to both theaters and HBO Max on October 22. There are also two Mission: Impossible films in the works that will feature Ferguson. Mission: Impossible 7 is set for next year, and the eighth installment of the franchise is expected the following year. But if you can’t bare the month-and-a-half wait for Ferguson though, you can catch her in the newly released film Reminiscence opposite Hugh Jackman. And spoiler, you won’t catch her using the fighting styles of Mission or Dune in that film!
