Rumor Mill: Robert Pattinson Not Set To Ride 'Dune's' Space Worms After All

After months of speculation that Twilight star Robert Pattinson might star in director Peter Berg's upcoming adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune," newbie gossip slangers Gossip Cop broke the scoop that Pattinson would be out of either the Dune role or his gig in Bel Ami, the sordid tale of a playboy adapted from Guy de Maupaussant's novel. Naturally, Twi-hards rejoiced at the news that RPattz will keep the role in which he romances ladies left and right, rather than the one in which he puts his hand in a pain box and rides giant space sandworms. Will Dune fans agree?

Truth be told, Pattinson was never confirmed for the Dune cast but heavy speculation had him pegged to play the part of young Paul Atreides, the heir to a noble family in writer Herbert's space opera. The character was previously played by Kyle MacLachlan in David Lynch's 1984 film adaptation and by Alec Newman in the Sci-Fi Channel's television miniseries Dune and Children of Dune. Berg's version, according to Variety, is intended to be a tent pole-level event film and has potential to kick start an entirely new franchise.


Personally, I'd prefer to see Pattinson in Bel Ami, if in fact this was a "choice" that came down to scheduling issues. My reasons are simple: A) The character drama will take less time to film than an epic, gigantic space blockbuster, and Pattinson just has to be available to film the as-yet unconfirmed fourth Twilight novel, Breaking Dawn (which itself might be split into two parts), and B) I'd rather see Pattinson love 'em and leave 'em in France than struggle with material that could be even cheesier than vampire grimaces and sparkling.

On a side note, let's consider the source. Gossip Cop is a celebrity gossip website launched last summer with the intent of "patrolling celebrity" and "busting bad dish." Essentially, they aim to deliver truthful gossip. The "Truth Meter" on the RPattz story goes all the way to "Real," so we can believe it even more, right? Weigh in on Gossip Cop below, and tell us if you're happy or disappointed that Rob Pattinson won't be adding "space aristocrat" to his resume any time soon.

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