Jason Momoa eager to face off with Timothée Chalamet in Dune: Part Three

Jason Momoa was thrilled to go "toe to toe" with Timothée Chalamet "physically and mentally" while making Dune: Part Three.

The Aquaman star played Duncan Idaho, the weapons master of Chalamet's young heir Paul Atreides, in the first Dune, and he returns in the third chapter as Hayt, a genetically engineered human replica of the late Duncan.

Chalamet's character has also undergone a significant change between movies and is now the fearsome Emperor, and Momoa told Empire that he was delighted to explore a different dynamic with his co-star this time around.

"It's a whole 'nother person, what he brings to being the Emperor. It's just strong, silent and violent," he said of Chalamet's performance. "Me and him will geek out a little bit (between takes), but then we got to get back to being serious. He was really in it."

Teasing a face-off, he added, "I was like, 'Wow, I cannot believe he just went toe to toe with me physically and mentally.' That guy comes in like a nuke, man."

Momoa admitted to the publication that it was "nerve-wracking" playing a new character, even though parts of Duncan are still hiding in Hayt's genetic code.

"It's one of those things where you're like, 'I didn't sign up to play this guy. I signed up to play the other guy," he shared. "I was just waiting to get to that point where you're like, 'This is my guy, man. I'm going to unleash hell on everyone!'"

Dune: Part Three also stars Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy and Javier Bardem. The sci-fi epic will open in cinemas on 18 December.