In 2021 director Denis Villeneuve achieved the impossible: he made a good adaptation of Frank Herbert’sDune.The seminal science fiction novel has long been thought to be unadaptable due to its grandiose scale and detailed exposition. Now, fans of theWarner Bros.film can see how Villeneuve and his team brought the world ofDuneto the big screen.
In the 2-minute featurette from Collider, Villeneuve explains that “Dune took years to be made because it was a challenge to respect the spirit of Frank Herbert´s book and bring it to the big screen.” To achieve the look ofDuneVilleneuve and his team shot in the deserts in Jordan, taking full advantage of the unique terrainand strong natural light.Villeneuve says that when he first shot in Jordan ten years ago, he knew it would be the perfect location to filmDune. Visual Effects Supervisor Paul Lambert adds to this by explaining that the strong natural light of the desert is impossible to re-create in the studio. Villeneuve ends the featurette emphasizing theimportance of the natural elements, saying that “Dune is a movie about nature, it was very important to me to be as close as possible with nature itself.”
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Even though Herbert’s novel is one of the most influential and renowned works of science fiction, it’s long been thought to be unadaptable. Director David Lynch famously tried toadapt the novel in 1984, but the film was such a financial and critical failure that he even had his name removed from the credits. Thankfully, Villeneuve’s adaptation was a massive success, smashing box office numbers at a time where the theatrical experience has been consistently hindered by the COVID19 pandemic.
Despite Warner Bros.’s controversial decision to simultaneously release the film in theaters and on HBO Max (something Villeneuve remains very critical of),Dunewas a huge success,raking in over $300 millionat the box office and garnering near-universal acclaim. As a result, Warner Bros. has greenlit a sequel,Dune Part 2,with Villeneuve returning as director. Production on the sequel is still in the early stages, but filming is expected to begin in July 2022, with a slated release date of October 2023.
Much ofDune’ssuccess can be attributed to Villeneuve’s passion and respect for the source material. As this featurette shows, Villeneuve has a deep understanding of Herbert’s novel and adapting it for the big screen has been alife-long goal of his.Dunestars Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar.
