Dune 2020: A Silver Lining At Last?

I didn't like what Disney did to Star Wars, my favorite sci-fi movie franchise. I don't like what has become of Doctor Who and Star Trek in their latest incarnations. I hated the remake of Ghost Busters and even the latest Marvel movie, Captain Marvel, was mediocre at best; on average we've had some poor years as sci-fi fans.

_{source: YouTube}

Maybe this sci-fi drought is partly responsible for the excitement I feel, now that my favorite sci-fi novel will be adopted for the big screen once again, this time directed by the man that has provided us with some rare sci-fi gems in recent years. I'm talking about Denis Villeneuve's Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. With these two titles Villeneuve not only shows that he's capable of dealing with a new and rather complicated theme in Arrival, but also that he's respectful towards established franchises with his sequel to the classic 1982 Blade Runner by Ridley Scott. In my opinion Villeneuve did an incredible job in visualizing difficult concepts like the circular nature of time and the protagonist being able to "remember the future" (Arrival), and perfectly capturing the atmosphere as well as the existential struggles of mankind as seen through the perspective of androids (Blade Runner).

Villeneuve seems to be the best we could wish for when choosing someone to make a motion picture based on one of the biggest and most popular sci-fi novels of all time. I believe that the popularity of his six books is proof of the fact that we're not always looking for mindless entertainment; the Dune novels take on some very deep and serious philosophical, social and political questions, and tries to answer them against the background of an epic galactic empire where the story of the birth of a God unfolds amidst a constant struggle for power between several noble families. The main protagonist is Paul Atreides of House Atreides and their main rivals are House Harkonnen, led by the evil Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.

It's not just the prospect of a Dune film directed by Villeneuve, it's that he has gathered around him an all-star team. The musical score will be done by none other than Hans Zimmer who's responsible for the music of Interstellar, The Lion King, Gladiator, Inception and Dunkirk, to name but a few. The cast looks on equal footing, with Oscar Isaac as Paul's vather, Duke Leto Atreides, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Dave Bautista as 'Beast' Rabban, Stellan Skarsgard as Baron Harkonnen and Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides. The screenplay is written by Villeneuve with Eric Roth who also wrote for great films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Good Shepherd and Forrest Gump. There's a third co-writer too, Jon Spaihts who has writing-credits for Passengers, Prometheus and Doctor Strange.

Even when writing this I feel the same excitement I felt when I got news that the second Star Wars movie was coming to a cinema near me, early 1980s. Dune 2020 has a November 2020 release date and production has already started last month. It seems the movie's off to a great start and that Villeneuve is paying attention to the opening words of Frank Herbert's books:

"A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. This every sister of the Bene Gesserit knows. To begin your study of the life of Muad'Dib, then take care that you first place him in his time: born in the 57th year of the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV. And take the most special care that you locate Muad'Dib in his place: the planet Arrakis. Do not be deceived by the fact that he was born on Caladan and lived his first fifteen years there. Arrakis, the planet known as Dune, is forever his place." - from Manual of Muad'Dib by the Princess Irulan

Time will only tell if Dune is to become a success. And success is needed if Villeneuve is ever to finish this project: it was decided very early on in pre-production that this story is just too massive and too complicated for just one movie, so at least two films are planned, and they will only cover the first book. Villeneuve wanted to film both parts at once, but the studio has now decided that part two will only be made if the first film is a financial success. So it's up to us to at least see the first one, and hope it's good enough to warrant Villeneuve the chance to finish his project. I can only hope...

Although I started this post with the recommendation to go and read the novels, I can fully understand you want to experience the film next year without spoilers. If that's the case, don't watch the video I link below; it has fragments of the 1984 Dune film by David Lynch, and tells parts of the story.

_{DUNE Movie Preview | What to expect from Denis Villeneuve's Dune Remake?}

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