Hollywood meets Emperor: Battle for Dune

Westwood Studios has announced some of the stars who will appear in scenes in its upcoming game Emperor: Battle for Dune. The cast includes a number of actors who have appeared in television shows and major films. Michael Dorn from Star Trek: The Next Generation will play the part of Duke Achillus of House Atreides. Michael McShane, who appeared in Drop Dead Gorgeous and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, will play the role of Baron Rakan of House Harkonnen, and Vincent Schiavelli, best known for his roles in Ghost and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, will play Yanich Kobal, the baron's advisor.

The cast recently completed filming, and postproduction work on the scenes is now in progress. According to McShane, the scenes contain lots of "high-end language" and "big emotions," and the costumes and staging give the work a Shakespearean feel.

Emperor: Battle for Dune is a 3D real-time strategy game set in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert's series of science-fiction novels. The game features three distinct playable factions, more than 30 maps, and over 100 missions. For more information about Emperor: Battle for Dune, take a look at our previous coverage, which includes screenshots, a movie trailer, and an in-depth preview of the game. Emperor: Battle for Dune is scheduled for release in July.