It is crazy to think how much this 1965 novel by Kevin Hebert has impacted pop-culture and science fiction, even though it does not always get the recognition. Obviously, when people today think of monumental projects in the sci-fi genre, franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, Aliens, and The Terminator are quick to come to mind.
However, Dune reached audiences before all of them and has managed to stay relevant today. The 1984 movie based on the novel was criticized for being a rushed adaptation and a let down of the incredibly nuanced and complex source material. Even with the legendary David Lynch helming its production, the 1984 film’s ambition was not properly executed. Warner Bros sees the flaws of that 1984 movie, is trying to learn from them, and is planning on making a movie that can do Hebert’s influential sci-fi novel justice.
This upcoming movie has made a strong choice for director Denis Villeneuve. For the uninformed: Villeneuve is the man who recently brought to life Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). These two critically acclaimed films show off Villeneuve’s ability and prowess to make a movie that adapts a previous work, while still being able to stand on its own. Also, the world building that Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 succeeded in doing is slowly but surely becoming Denis Villeneuve’s trademark as a filmmaker. With a movie that is adapting something as dense, complex, and focuses on multiple worlds, Villeneuve’s past experience with these movie types will definitely be beneficial for the film’s overall success.
Speaking of world building, this movie is set up to be one of the most epic and unique movies since Peter Jackson took a film crew to New Zealand to adapt Tolkien’s iconic trilogy. Epic movies of this magnitude are a rarity in cinema and always have been compared to other genres of films. The expenses and production levels that are needed for movies of this size must be worth it in the end, so movie studios only make a limited amount of them, and hardly ever the size that Dune looks to be.
Filming locations for this movie include Budapest, Hungary, Jordan, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Norway. The amount of beauty and boldness that these locations have are set up to be the perfect backdrop for this movie adaption.
When it comes to special effects, Dune has John Nelson as its visual effects supervisor. While this name is far from a household name, it is important to point out that he is the same person who Denis Villeneuve worked with on Blade Runner 2049. This means the established relationship will lead to even more stunning visuals like they had in their sequel to Ridley Scott’s classic film.
One strange talking point is the fact that Warner Bros has a whole franchise planned under the Dune umbrella, but not a lot has been officially announced. Apart from this movie, there is an HBO Max series titled Dune: The Sisterhood. This series will be about the matriarchal and religious entity titled the Bene Gesserit. While this show is still in its early stages of pre-production, at least we have some concrete details. I say this because there is a sequel planned for Dune that has not been officially announced at the time of writing. Some early screenings have seen the movie’s title card as reading “Dune: Part One” which obviously leads audiences to conclude there will be at least a second part. While Warner Bros and Legendary have not made anything public, it is safe to say that the filmmakers and studios are hoping for a multimedia franchise.
When the book was first released, critics and audiences knew that the story would be a perfect movie. While David Lynch’s attempt was rushed because it tried to fit in all of the complexities, Denis Villeneuve’s is looking to fix those wrongs. Breaking one book into two movies has yet to be successfully executed in the modern age, I see Dune having two parts as being a smart decision that will finally have a beautiful follow-through.
While this A+ cast (Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Issac, Stellan Skarsgård, and Jason Momoa, to name a few) will likely pull in some audiences, there is so much more to this movie underneath it’s surface. The book is a classic and has influenced decades of media that followed it. Because of this, the story deserves an equally successful movie to be made from it. By the looks of the trailer and the plans made, I imagine this movie will finally be just that.
Watch the official Dune trailer below:
