Frank Herbert’s Dune has nothing if not a fascinating history in regards to film adaptations, with many aborted attempts beginning in the ’70s paving the way for David Lynch’s Kyle MacLachlan-starring film in 1984. And then there’s of course Alejandro Jodorowsky’s doomed adaptation from the ’70s, which has become the stuff of legend.
We learned back in 2016 that Denis Villeneuve, the brilliant filmmaker behind Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner: 2049, was is in early talks to direct Legendary’s Dune reboot, and we’ve got a pretty massive update for you this week.
Via Playlist, Villeneuve teased his grand plans at Rendez-Vous du Cinema Quebecois.
“Dune will probably take two years to make,” he told the crowd this week at Montreal’s Place des Arts’ Théâtre Maisonneuve. “The goal is to make two films, maybe more.”
Herbert’s novel is a massive epic, so splitting it into at least two films – much like Warner Bros. has chosen to do with IT – is probably the best idea. More as we learn it.
“Set in the distant future, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, whose family accepts control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, control of Arrakis is highly contested among competing noble families. After Paul and his family are betrayed, the story explores themes of politics, religion, and man’s relationship to nature as Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s control of Arrakis.”