The road to the big screen has been a long and challenging one for the remake of 'Dune'. The project was kickstarted more than a decade ago by Paramount Pictures, with Peter Berg ('Patriots Day') as director. After Berg abandoned the project, the directing role was taken up by Pierre Morel ('Taken'), but a series of complications and delays meant that the studio had no choice but to cancel the production. In 2016, Legendary Pictures bought the rights to Frank Herbert's legendary work of science fiction, and set the film adaptation in motion once more.
It wasn't long before Legendary confirmed that the director of the remake would be Denis Villeneuve, the Canadian filmmaker who was recently involved in two of the most critically-acclaimed science fiction films of the decade, 'Arrival' and 'Blade Runner 2049'. Villeneuve, who states that he has always been passionate about Herbert's iconic novel, has put together an incredible cast for the remake: Timothée Chalamet leads the cast as Paul Atreides, and amongst those joining him on screen are Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista and Stellan Skarsgård.
For those of you who are not familiar with 'Dune', the series is based on one of the most influential science fiction novels in literary history. The book, published in 1965, follows a strongly divided galactic empire through the Atreides family. The clan claims control of Arrakis, a deserted planet that is home to a coveted type of spice that has the ability to lengthen one's lifespan and grant special abilities. When the family is betrayed by the Emperor, the youngest Atreides son, Paul, must escape this hostile planet whilst a conflict erupts across the galaxy due to this valuable resource. This is only the beginning of the dense story that spans multiple sequels and prequels, and fans of science fiction eagerly await the return of the expansive saga to the screen.
Been there, done that
For a long time, Herbert's hugely ambitious novel was considered impossible to adapt to the big screen, but such a feat was attempted by many directors before Villeneuve stepped up to the director's chair. The first was Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose cinematic adaptation (which involved artists of such calibre as Orson Welles, Salvador Dalí and Mick Jagger) failed in its attempt to bring the story to life, though it did result in the documentary 'Jodorowsky's Dune' which focused on the director's process. In the 80s, David Lynch succeeded in completing his vision of the film, starring Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides. However, his version didn't convince critics and ended up a box office flop, though the flick has become something of a cult classic over the past few decades. Finally, in 2000, John Harrison created his own version for Syfy in the form of a three-episode miniseries.
Despite these numerous attempts, nobody has managed to do justice to Herbert's monumental magnum opus as of yet. Will Villeneuve be the mind behind the definitive cinematic adaptation? We'll have to wait until the end of 2020 to find out, when the film will hit cinemas.
