The famous French-Canadian moviemaker Denis Villeneuve is making a cinematic version of the 1965’s science-fiction best seller novel Dune which is likely to be at least a two-part movie.
According to The Playlist, Villeneuve disclosed that his remake of Dune would be divided into a minimum two parts, while he addressed a 1400 member audience at the Rendez-Vous du Cinéma Québécois held at Montréal’s Place Des Arts Théâtre Maisonneuve recently.
“Dune will probably take two years to make,” Villeneuve said. “The goal is to make two films, maybe more.”
Denis Villeneuve is at present a much sought after director in Hollywood and has made various highly acclaimed movies in the last few years such as Prisoners (2013), Sicario (2015), Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). His association with Dune reboot was finalized in January 2017 by Brian Herbert whose father Frank Herbert wrote the Dune novels.
There has been an earlier cinematic adaptation of Dune in 1984 which was made by director David Lynch (Twin Peaks), although that film was slammed by critics and failed to recover even its budget of $40 million on the box office. A miniseries version titled Frank Herbert’s Dune was aired by Sci-Fi Channel in 2000 which was directed by John Harrison. The show won two Emmy Awards for cinematography and visual effects. Harrison made another miniseries in 2003 titled Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune, which was based on the second and third Dune novels, i.e., 1969’s Dune Messiah and 1976’s Children of Dune.
It is a fiction story based in future and a feudal interplanetary society, revolving around a family who ruled a desert planet called Arrakis, the source of a drug famous as “the spice.” There is betrayal, and a rebellion aimed to bring them back to power on the planet.
Oscar-winning writer Eric Roth is going to script the Villeneuve movie. Cast and release date are not yet declared.