Although there were doubts about whether Paramount would obtain the rights to Frank Herbert's science fiction classic Dune, it does look as if a big budget movie with Peter Berg directing is going ahead after all. This will be the second big screen adaptation of arguably the greatest SF novel of all time, a formidable tale set on the desert planet Arrakis, where water is precious, giant worms roam freely, and Great Houses fight for access to a life extending substance called spice.
Most promising of all is that the producers are apparently looking for writers to create a faithful adaptation of Dune. In David Lynch's 1984 adaptation there were numerous differences with the novel; some would probably go as far as to say that the plot was mangled. While I thought there was a great deal to like about Lynch's version, it would be great to see a big budget, big screen version that was faithful to the text.
According to Variety, the movie's producers believe the theme of finite ecological resources is timely given the increasing threat of global warming. Perhaps this will be the start of a series of movies based on Herbert's books? If so, let's hope they can give them the royal movie treatment they deserve.
Paramount’s Dune will be produced by Kevin Misher, Richard Rubenstein and Sarah Aubrey. Kevin Misher spent the past year securing the book rights from the Herbert estate, while Richard Rubenstein produced the two Sci Fi Channel miniseries, Dune and Children of Dune. Sarah Aubrey works for Film 44, Peter Berg's production company.
Peter Berg's directing credits include The Kingdom and Friday Night Lights. He recently completed the upcoming science fiction comedy Handcock with Will Smith.
The new Dune movie has no firm release date (there’s still no script after all), but we'll keep you informed.
...that they get the look and feel right. I'm a BIG fan of the Lynch movie. I think the look and feel captured the DUNE universe just right even if the plot was mangled. Anyone else feel the same? I felt the SF channel's version while more true to the storey was kind of shoddy when it came to depicting this epic storey.
K
K. Adams and Gerard: (both) SF channel miniseries were low-budget. And even so the look and feel as well as story were better captured by SF then Lynch for me (and I do love the Dune movie, it was the main thing that made me read all the books). Lynch view was too dark... even the movie itself is too dark. Sure, they traveled mainly during the night, but Arrakis was a no cloud (except for the coriolis, sand storms), full of sun desert for most part (except the poles). The housing, navigators, bene gesserit, kaitan, giedi prime... The only two things I see more "arrakian" to me in Lynch movie is the palace and the water deposits. All I hope is that the story is followed (and that they even use, if not all, many of the lines in the book), and since they have a nice budget (compared to SF channel miniseries), they can make a good representation of duniverse :)
I pray to the gods of dune that they get some of it right. Being a HUGE fan of the entire series (ive read it so many times), ive come to expect a LOT from any movie that attempts to do justice to the series.
i felt that Lynch movie got the \"atmosphere\" right, but butchered the story as much as the SCIFI series did. SO many unecessary changes to characters and ideas were changed.
ANd to Gregg E, #1, Hell yeah! i dont know why they can never get the ornithopters right. IF they had read the books Herbert does more than enough descrpition to make them look right.
I feel that the best book in the series was God Emporer, followed by children. IF they ever attempted God Emporer, i hope to god they do Leto right. He gives a complete description of his proportions and how he moves himself, but knowing modern hollywood, theyll give some guy a big snake suit with a hole cut out for the face.
First of all- I liked some aspects of the David Lynch film, but was bothered by quite a bit- aside from the obvious plot problems. One of the biggest liberties he took is with those nonsensical "weirding" weapons. This time around, let's hope they stick to the original concept. It seems pretty natural, since the ultra-fast Bene Gesserit fighting style will lend itself to some pretty killer "bullet-time" action sequences. I also hope the casting is better this time around. All in all, there's just way too much information in each of the Dune books to make movies from them- let's hope they edit carefully and add nothing that wasn't there to begin with. I really hope they go in depth into some of the philosophical and spiritual aspects of Herbert's work- and please o please don't let them downplay the psychedelic nature of The Water of Life. It's always tricky business trying to put the experience of using psychedelics onto film since such drugs effect your thinking even more than they do what you see and here- but when done right such scenes can be mindblowing. If this first movie is good, I do hope they manage to make the whole series. In the end, no matter how good the movie or movies turn out, nothing will compare with the books. I'm half way through re-reading the entire series right now and I'm even more blown away this time than I was the first.
One thing I'd really like to know is where to send submissions. I'm a huge fan of the series, and have been unsatisfied with the offerings in bringing Dune to screen, so far. My heart about skipped 2 beats and then kicked into overdrive upon seeing not only that there's a new movie coming, but that Berg is striving to be true to the original book - and especially that they're looking for a script!
I hope they're soliciting scripts somewhere. I have wanted to actually produce some sort of screen adaptation - webisodes, perhaps - in CG since I have no budget, but doing so would clearly be a tremendous undertaking. It is better yet to jump on the bandwagon of something that could clearly be headed for greatness.
I have been a Dune fan since I was 15 years old, (nearly 40 years ago!) and am still fascinated by Frank Herbert's first four novels in the series (thought he lost the plot a bit for 5 and 6, but that's just me and I never took an interest in Brian and Kevin's books). I will also take a very great interest in the new movie as I thought Lynch's effort in 1984 was simply dreadful, an absolute travesty - one of the great disappointments of my movie-watching life! The TV mini-series' were much better efforts but not without their problems. Herbert's original books were complex and brilliantly melded religious and ecological concepts to create a truely incredible universe. The only way that justice could possibly be done to the story are for a series of movies as with LOTR. In fact, the first novel alone should take two movies to cover properly. I've been waiting for many years to see a faithful adaptation to Frank's amazing story and my fingers are firmly crossed!
8)
I'm glad to here that DUNE is being re-made....again.
Whilst I do hold some reservations concerning the choice of a little known director, who I've never heard of(at least I'd been into early Peter Jackson films)...I still think that it's good someone decided to give this a go. :)
Yeah I agree totally in the idea that the timing couldn't be more perfect in terms of Global Warming and the renewed public interest in ecological study.
Besides........
The memory of Frank Herbert deserves to be strengthened and honored by a decent string of impressive films.
In the previous two attempts, the characters were either wooden and 1 dimensional, or bizarrely altered so as to 'modernize' them, or something atrocious. Please keep in mind that these characters in the original vision were very nuanced. As an example, Paul was not a whimsical, moody kid (oh please), but rather a well-trained, aristocrat's son, with poise, grace, manners, knowledge, and insight; he lacked (and gained) wisdom and experience.
Plot. Please don't re-arrange events, or people, or whole events. This is important for everything. Also, do not introduce soap-opera elements to 'tweak' the story. Don't put romance where it does not belong. Don't make people petulant or irrational when they never were.
Intent: Dune was NOT fantasy! The abilities and capabilities were achieved through breeding, training, society; SHOW this. It was not technology (weirding modules? huh?) It was sheer force of will and ability.
Jesus, I could go on forever...
In the previous two attempts, the characters were either wooden and 1 dimensional, or bizarrely altered so as to 'modernize' them, or something atrocious. Please keep in mind that these characters in the original vision were very nuanced. As an example, Paul was not a whimsical, moody kid (oh please), but rather a well-trained, aristocrat's son, with poise, grace, manners, knowledge, and insight; he lacked (and gained) wisdom and experience.
Plot. Please don't re-arrange events, or people, or whole events. This is important for everything. Also, do not introduce soap-opera elements to 'tweak' the story. Don't put romance where it does not belong. Don't make people petulant or irrational when they never were.
Intent: Dune was NOT fantasy! The abilities and capabilities were achieved through breeding, training, society; SHOW this. It was not technology (weirding modules? huh?) It was sheer force of will and ability.
Jesus, I could go on forever...
Being a fan of the books I think Lynch's version was right on in terms of atmosphere and looks (eg the contrasts between the palaces on Caladan and Arrakeen). The miniseries had the luxury to go into more detail with the plot, but totally messed up with casting and visuals. Next to being true to the plot and philosophy, I think, esthetics and atmosphere count a lot in Dune. I always hoped someone like Bertolucci would direct Dune, as he is expert in encompassing both the grandiose and the very intimate, with a uncanny feel for esthetism (The Last Emperor is a perfect example). Looking at Berg's filming pedigree, I am not totally reassured for the final result...
David Lynch's DUNE movie was very important for me. I had seen it in a cinema when it came out in '84 and I was too young to understand the plot (I went with my dad), and the imagery gave me nightmares! Back then I didn't know how strongly this would influence me... on the creative side, at least.
In 1989, a teacher made me a copy of a very worn-out VHS tape with DUNE on it. I had to watch it again a couple of times and still found the plot confusing. It took quite a while until I grasped all of it. I read the first DUNE novel a bit later, it took me a year. I'm not a fast reader, and the books have their lengths -- they go into a lot of detail.
I don't think I would've picked up the books if it had not been for the Lynch movie. Even before I understood the story, I was completely fascinated with the atmosphere the movie created. There is a lot of strangeness that's gripped me in ways I cannot really describe. I can understand the people for whom the movie was a failure, but for me, it is a masterpiece. As are the books, of course.
I don't think you can compare the DUNE series with LOTR. Much of DUNE is an intricate description of the DUNE universe with a lot of focus on philosophy and the characters' thoughts. This is hard to transfer onto the screen – in contrast to LOTR which has a lot of action going on, which lends itself well to a movie adaption. It's much easier to find an audience for LOTR than for DUNE. DUNE is much more demanding, for everybody, including the audience. It needs much more sensitiveness and much greater attention to detail to be really appreciated. I don't think it's possible to make a series of movies out of DUNE as has been done with LOTR. Also, the LOTR fanbase appears to be some orders of magnitude larger than that for DUNE. I'd expect the producers to take that into consideration.
There is a lot at stake. AFAIK, DUNE was not a great financial success, and a second movie that was in planning was never completed because of that. A new DUNE movie must not be a box-office failure, no matter how well it will be received artistically.
So, all in all, this will be a very demanding project. I'm hoping for the best.
David Lynch's DUNE movie was very important for me. I had seen it in a cinema when it came out in '84 and I was too young to understand the plot (I went with my dad), and the imagery gave me nightmares! Back then I didn't know how strongly this would influence me... on the creative side, at least.
In 1989, a teacher made me a copy of a very worn-out VHS tape with DUNE on it. I had to watch it again a couple of times and still found the plot confusing. It took quite a while until I grasped all of it. I read the first DUNE novel a bit later, it took me a year. I'm not a fast reader, and the books have their lengths -- they go into a lot of detail.
I don't think I would've picked up the books if it had not been for the Lynch movie. Even before I understood the story, I was completely fascinated with the atmosphere the movie created. There is a lot of strangeness that's gripped me in ways I cannot really describe. I can understand the people for whom the movie was a failure, but for me, it is a masterpiece. As are the books, of course.
I don't think you can compare the DUNE series with LOTR. Much of DUNE is an intricate description of the DUNE universe with a lot of focus on philosophy and the characters' thoughts. This is hard to transfer onto the screen – in contrast to LOTR which has a lot of action going on, which lends itself well to a movie adaption. It's much easier to find an audience for LOTR than for DUNE. DUNE is much more demanding, for everybody, including the audience. It needs much more sensitiveness and much greater attention to detail to be really appreciated. I don't think it's possible to make a series of movies out of DUNE as has been done with LOTR. Also, the LOTR fanbase appears to be some orders of magnitude larger than that for DUNE. I'd expect the producers to take that into consideration.
There is a lot at stake. AFAIK, DUNE was not a great financial success, and a second movie that was in planning was never completed because of that. A new DUNE movie must not be a box-office failure, no matter how well it will be received artistically.
So, all in all, this will be a very demanding project. I'm hoping for the best.
It is my fervent wish that Lynch's hopeless mess of Frank Herbert's brilliant story is eventually forgotten about and ends up on the scrapheap of movie history. Surely one of the worst movies ever made. The Scifi Channel's efforts were vastly more faithful to both the story and the overall feel of the books. As for the prequels? Forget them! We can only keep our fingers crossed that any new movie keeps faith with Frank's original vision.
Some of you have commented on miscasting in the Dune miniseries--I have to say tho' that James McAvoy as Leto II was a good cast, and would make a fine worm. As for the original film, Francesca Annis was great as the Lady Jessica, and Jurgen Prochnow as the Duke. They were good. Maybe they will find actors like them. I'm looking forward to a new Dune rendering. I liked all the pre-quels too.
I'm quite suprised at a few of the comments on here, personally I thought Lynch's Dune was wonderful. The atmosphere was perfect, and the darkness has allowed it to age beautifully.
The TV series I found to look cheap and... well... like a TV series. Just personal taste I guess.
The books are fantastic and I felt Lynch captured Dune perfectly, I know there were changes, but nothing that hindered the overall plot and I understand the limits of condensing it down. Overall I don't think a better job could have been done!
That they are making another adaptation of Dune. Lynch's version was absolutely horrific. The Sci-fi miniseries of Dune and Children of Dune were definitely better, but still not without their flaws. So I cannot wait until this new adaptation comes out. Perhaps it will be more true to the novels. But one thing I am kind of disappointed with is it seems there is never going to be a production of the later sequels. When is a God Emperor of Dune ever going to be filmed. I mean I am happy that they are trying to more accurately depict the novels but MOVE ON ALREADY...FINISH THE STORY!!!
As a devoted fan of the Dune series - including those books by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson - I am eagerly awaiting this movie. I see many different things in the versions done so far, and I'm sure there will be variances from the book in this next version. I know to some degree this does matter, but on the other hand - is every account of the story of Jesus in the bible exactly the same? Just the differences seen by different people. It's still Dune - still Arrakis - and still REAL!
Read the books (all of them BH&KA included - amazing how many references to things in these that were made by Frank in the originals!); seen the movies; now listening to the cd's (I don't h ave time to read them again).
It's my world, my universe, my DUNE.
I think that the old Dune movie was crap as a faithful Frank Herbert imagining. The second attempt by the Sci-Fi channel was much better, and I love that movie. The only problem I had with it was just the minor plot problems, and the fact that the navigators could bend space time?!?!?! That isn't at all what he had in mind in his books. They saw the future for cryin' out loud. They deffinatly need to be careful when casting. Don't have to be big name actors or anything, but they should be good enough that they will be remembered for their parts in it. They should touch more on what Duke Leto wanted the Freeman for... I have had enough of the crap with the new weapons crap from the old movie too...
I think Dune will be better as dark and gothic as David Lynch did it. Coub Harkkonen in a Japanese suit (SciFi Channel) was merde!. And who can be concerned about the BG if they are not skinheads and dressed in long black abbas? Please, a little more of respect about the thrilling atmosphere of David Lynch's art designers!
Somebody here said that perhaps what Dune need is an experienced director. In my humble opinion, Dune not only needs experience, but someone that truly understands what fantasy and science fiction are. Peter Jackson, George Lucas or Steven Spielberg would make the best choices in Hollywood. Their experience in similar movies is notable, plus, they are commercial and action directors, and definitively Dune is an expensive story that needs to be a blockbuster to be a good investment for ParamountPictures. Lych...I'm sorry, but the guy is too experimental for a blockbuster. He was a a bad choice.
Loved the movie as a kid, and still do. The movie made me read the books. I was so disappointed that the weirding modules were not in the book - I had to reread several pages to make sure I hadn't missed it.
Anyway, with today's CGI stuff, the shields are guaranteed to be a little cooler. Two words ... Duncan Idaho.
I first read Herbert's Dune in a science fiction course I took last semester and I was just shocked by the parallels between the plot of the book and the current political arena. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that one of the main motifs of the book is that of a clash of civilizations; namely, the indigenous population trying to defend their land against foreign invaders. I sincerely hope the theme of modern-day colonialism can be manifested through this classic.
. . . IMHO, They need to read the books and "Cut it" in parts, then see how many hours it would take to do all the parts properly. If it takes 3 movies of 3 hours, then do it like LOTR, take your time, get it right, and the audience will just be thankfull and numerous.
. . . The audiences nowaday, can afford to watch an epic story in multiple films, it's a proven fact (LOTR, Harry potter)... we also can wait a couple years for it to unfold; Dont serve us fast food and make us sick.
. . . I have read all the way until chapterhouse book, and DUNE really deserves it's place on the big screen, without being butchered (again) and without focusing on action only. Althout the 2 other adaptation had good and bad points, they should be looked upon and learned from to prevent doing the same mistakes again.
. . .In conclusion, if they give it everything they've got and manage to pull through, It's a safe bet they'll move on to the other books. I hope DUNE passes the "trial by fire" this time around.
As excited as I am at the prospect of a new adaption of Dune, I have to believe that there is NO way ANYONE could capture the nuances of Frank Herbert's classic. Having said that, it was the Lynch movie that inspired me to start reading the whole series in the first place. Rarely do movies capture the essence of the books for which they adapt. The problem is that our imaginations create a better vision for each individual. That goes 100 fold for a books like the Dune saga. The best example of a non-Herbert book that even comes close (but still no comparison) is Battlefield Earth and we all know how that movie turned out. Some literary masterpieces are simply too grand to be duplicated in a two hour movie or even series of movies. LOTR was as good as it gets but even there SO much is lost in the translation from one media to the other. How can they possibly tell the story with out at least a thorough backstory of thinking machines, Budislamic Fremen on Arrakis, and the foundation of the Padesha Empire. I almost hate to say it but it seems like you would almost have to start any Dune series off with the three prequels by Kevin Anderson and Brian Herbert starting with the Butlarian Jihad for the average moviegoer to be able to follow the story without first reading the books.
Great News.The Lynch film I thoroughly enjoyed. Having read the book twice before I saw it helped a huge amount, and I totally understand why it flopped, and why people were confused. There simply is too much to fit into one film, and Lynch did the best he could with the resources provided. The plus points of it was the fantastic sets, the 'atmosphere', and some of the characters. (Patrick Stewart as Gurney was brilliant, the Baron was horrible - and totally perfect, and Jessica was portrayed perfectly). The sandworms were excellent too, as well as the score. The SF adaptation I enjoyed too, though I preferred the 'darker' complexity of Lynch's movie, and the effects were a bit cheap, and didn't lead to the 'epic' feel. However, it included an awful lot of the book, and that is NEVER a bad thing.nnI really hope that this movie isn't jammed into one. Some creative license will be required to beef up some action sequences, to sell it to a wider audience, and some of the confusing water of life related themes may need to be watered down( ^^). However I really hope they keep the strong ecological/religious themes, and of course sandworms/fremen vs sardaukar in the epic style that LOTR managed with their battles. nnYou have to understand that the movie will require some subtle alterations to sell it to a wider audience. I would be happy with this - I would love more people to 'get into' Dune, and perhaps pick up the book. Think what they're missing!
The Sci-Fi Channel's Dune was great it' would be a waste of time and money to do another adaption of the original book. I love Dune too but let's see more of Mr. Herbert's vision and go on to another chapter like God Emperor. The Sci-Fi version was better than the 1984 version and explained the Weirding way, as a martial art, which made more sense than those stupid sound moduals. Also FYI Lynch only EDITED some other director's work, Lynch did not "make" the original Dune Movie get your facts straight! Let's move on to Emperor, a book that would present a new complex challenge that is what movie makers do and what audiences want, if George Lucas, instead of working on the negetives of the original Star Wars during the making of the Special Edition, decided it was too much of a challenge and just remade the whole trilogy with new sets and actors where would Star Wars be today? I'll tell you where, in post-pproduction he'd have set the franchise back twenty whole years! Move on to NEW adventures.
Star Wars is easily the antagonist v. protaganist--father v. son--in our less than patriarchal now--father v. daugher. Simple hero delineation. Loved it, even with the Renaissance derivative. Dune is much more complex--thanks for the premise in the prequels--a la the son Herbert. I recently received a CD in the mail: "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" from Clarion Press. History repeats itself. Hate to quote Harry Seldon....won't go there--who do you think is "The Mule" for us? Patchwork--but still looking for the truth.
Allison in Pensacola
Creating a screen adaptation of Herbert's epic novels will be extremely difficult but not impossible. We've come a long in the motion picture industry. Classics like The Ten Commandments, Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings, Matrix, etc., were all done cleverly and with immense imagination and use of the newest movie and computer technology. The script is nothing without the visuals.
I just hope that the new movie will give it the ooomph that was the big attraction to the novels. I would like to see the Bene Geserrit portrayed in the proper light. They were the real powers of the universe and should be in the forefront considering the later concentrations in the sequels. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give them their due.
The first dune compared to the second was good. The second was done kinda cheaply and it showed. The scenes should be shot in real places and locations to add to the scope of the story. Remember, we're talking about 8,000 years from now and the evolution of humanity should be obvious in the translation. Basically, they should be superhumans relative to modern day humans.
I can't wait!!!!
I can't wait.
Tony Seymour seems to be the only one who "gets it" here: Lynch's film was an abomination (it was originally supposed to be directed by Ridley Scott - which could have made all the difference...). The casting was terrible, the special effects were horrible (you can even see the blue screen behind the sandworms), and, really now - it RAINS at the end?! Please.
In this regard, "Scott" makes an important comment when he points out that one will NEVER get the "essence" of a book into a movie: it simply cannot be done, since a film would have to be four or five hours long to include all the details and subcontexts. In that regard, the Sci-Fi miniseries was beyond brilliant, even given its minor flaws: the casting was fabulous (Alec Newman (!), Saskia Reeves, William Hurt, James McAvoy et al), the production was superb, and it was thoroughly engrossing, and got the vast majority of the story right, even given some missing subtexts and occasionally re-arranged scenes.
As well, if you give it some thought, the best book-to-movie adaptations (particularly comic book and/or fantasy characters) have been made by directors who really CARE about the material: directors who actually have a deep love for the characters and the stories. I do not know Berg's personal connection to the Dune series, but if he is not a lifelong fan with a vested interest (other than $) in "getting it right," then it may not only be a waste of time (since the miniseries was so good), but he may end up screwing it up (though it is unlikely that anyone could do worse than Lynch did).
Personally, if there were a director out there with as much love for the Dune series as Jackson had for LOTR (and despite some of the comments here, and despite some admittedly annoying aspects of them, the LOTR series was astounding), then I would love to see the entire series done, from The Butlerian Jihad through at least Chapterhouse Dune. The stories, characters, subtexts, etc. are consistently amazing, and deserve to be done tastefully, with love and passion for the material.
Peace.
My suggested cast:
Paul Atreides: Jared Padalecki
Alia Atreides: Dakota Fanning
Feyd Rautha: Jon Bon Jovi or Chris Carmack
Chani: Jennifer Love Hewitt or Lacey Chabert
Duke Leto Atreides: Kieffer Sutherland
Lady Jessica: Melinda Clark
Baron Vladimir Harkkonen: John Goodman
Glossu Rabban: James Gandolfini
Emperor Shaddam Iv: Jack Nicholson
Duncan Idaho: Christian Bale
Stilgar: Denis Quaid
Dr Kynes: Harrison Ford
Princess Irulan: Jessica Biel
Paul Atreides: Jared Padalecki
Alia Atreides: Dakota Fanning
Feyd Rautha: Jon Bon Jovi or Chris Carmack
Chani: Jennifer Love Hewitt or Lacey Chabert
What are you high? Kieffer Sutherland as Duke Leto Atreides?! Granted he's a great actor but Leto has got to be portrayed by an actor of higher calibre. Jessica Biel as Princess Irulan? She's too old for that role, but she would be a good Lady Jessica. Sutherland could be Piter, he's good in the more off beat roles like Dark City. John Goodman as the Baron is moronic - he's a comedy actor, so I doubt he could pull off a homicidal homosexual. I don't know who Melinda Clark even is. Jack Nicholson as Emperor Shaddam IV would be over kill. Ford however might be good. Christian Bale is way too pop culture and people would never accept Denis Quaid as Stilgar. I also would like to apologise: Lynch did direct the first film and some other guy cut it up for TV - sorry.
This American-Hollywood-take on such an earthly-cultural-continuing-story--better than most I've seen or read. Thank you, Frank Herbert and son, for finding us here and there and again. Kids, whatever comes from the new Dune rendering is us, and I'll be happy to see what comes.
Allison in Pensacola
Another suggested cast:
Paul Atreides: Jared Padalecki
Alia Atreides: Dakota Fanning
Feyd Rautha: Anthony Michael Hall or Jon Bon Jovi or Chris Carmack
Chani: Bridget Moynahan or Lacey Chabert
Duke Leto Atreides: Bruce Greenwood (I Robot) or Kyle MacLahan (the former Paul in the original movie, why not?)
Lady Jessica: Melinda Clark or Kim Basinger
Baron Vladimir Harkkonen: John Goodman or James Belushi
Glossu Rabban: James Gandolfini / Chris Noth /
Emperor Shaddam IV: Sean Connery
Duncan Idaho: Christian Bale
Stilgar: Denis Quaid
Dr Kynes: Harrison Ford
Princess Irulan: Jessica Biel / Brittany Murphy
Hey G bird, remember that Jessica Biel is too younger as Jared Padalecki, therefore she can´t play the roll of Lady Jessica as Paul Atreides´mother.
Melinda Clark is the bitch in the OC.
I deeply apologize for my last entry I was pressed for time it should have read:
They'd be better off recruiting some Shakespearian trained actors, after all Dune's plot is very Shakespear-esque.
Dakota Fanning is also too popculture for Alia Atreides. Find an unknown for her and Paul. Jon Bon Jovi would be better as Idaho.
Jennifer Love Hewitt too busy with her ghosts and she's too old for that role as well what about Kristana Loken?
Kieffer Sutherland as Duke Leto Atreides?! Granted he's a great actor but Leto has got to be portrayed by an actor of higher calibre. Jessica Biel as Princess Irulan? She's too old for that role, but she would be a good Lady Jessica. Sutherland could be Piter, he's good in the more off beat roles like Dark City. John Goodman as the Baron is moronic - he's a comedy actor, I doubt he could pull off a homicidal homosexual. I don't know who Melinda Clark even is. Jack Nicholson as Emperor Shaddam IV would be over kill. Ford however might be good. Christian Bale is way too pop culture and people would never accept Denis Quaid as Stilgar. I also would like to apologise: Lynch did direct the first film and some other guy cut it up for TV - sorry.
I don't know, your suggested lists seem a little off to me. Besides the obvious problems of having so many stars and egos in one place at one time, some of those listed do not have the chops to pull it off, regardless of direction.
Talented unknowns all around, for the most part. Two or three major "stars" at the most would be sufficient to bring in a wider audience. And the cast selections would have to follow the descriptions given in the books. For example, any Fremen must be thin and as nearly dried-up as a corpse, and the Atreides males would have to have angular, hawkish faces.
Bale has a good look, and the acting skills, to fit as the Red Duke.
Dakota is too old for Alia, as is Connery and Nicholson for Shaddam---maybe one of them for Hawat, since he is described as quite ancient-looking, but I can't see either fitting the role.
Bon Jovi as Duncan? He doesn't have the chops for it, only the good-looks! And him with jet-black hair, as Duncan had: I don't know if he would look so good!
Gandolfini as Glossu sounds very, very interesting though.
Unknowns work better, to get past any preconceived notions and the distractions of big stars. The focus would be more on the characters themselves, not the actors behind them.
For me, the Lynch film succeeded in only a very few small areas, the most obvious being the Baron Harkonnen - that was an acceptable attempt at portraying the disturbing and unfathomable depths of twisted depravity that is the Baron. The overall atmosphere of the movie touched (but didn't completely define) the gritty, unforgiving reality of the universe they inhabited.
The Lynch movie failed miserably with the wierding modules, the Guild Navigators, and the worms.
The thought of a full big-budget treatment for Dune has been my dream, and with success, the sequels.
God Emperor would be epic beyond imagination.
Anticipation...
I've read this whole page of comments, and I'm horrified that no-one has mentioned the key problem with the movie adaptations of the DUNE novels. Everyone keeps talking about the "concepts" and "events" from the novels, and how they were portrayed rightly or wrongly - but the problem with any "script" for a movie like the one proposed will be how to tackle the massive amount of UNSPOKEN INTERNAL DIALOUGE in the books that is crucial to the atmosphere and plot. On the whole it's not what Paul and Jessica wear, or say or do that reveals their complexity - it's what they "think". Ponder for a moment, how can you faithfully recreate Frank Herbert's vision on screen, without that most ubiquitous of his writing tools...ITALICS!
I'm not saying that it shouldn't be attempted - I would get on a plane and fly to wherever it is being premiered! But I will be gutted if we end up with another complete failure to capture the essence of DUNE.
Consider the last 2 novels, Heretics and Chapter House - most of the important and gripping converstaions (e.g Dama and Lucilla) involve a tiny amount of spoken dialoge, and huge tracts of internal analysis, delving into other memory and coming to conclusions. Herberts writing style (the trick that makes his readers feel so intelligent) is to use ITALICS to reveal to the reader what characters do not know about each other. Seldom are the most important points spoken aloud.
I know this huge long diatribe makes me look like a fanatic - but if you are reading this then come on...you're also a fanatic. I remain convinced that the essence of DUNE does not lie simply in a faithful retelling of events, but depends enormously on Frank Herberts mastery of the storytelling technique.
To attempt to transplant the plot into a cinematic production without respect for the power of the original written delivery, will most likely result in the current outcome of a human brain transplant.
Good Luck
So happy to read all those great comments of core Dune fans who understand and appreciate the true depth of the books.
I think book one should be divided in 3 films like The Lord of the Rings. There is so much depth in the charracters, the planet and the plot that there is no way you can get a good movie out of book one in even a 3 or 4 hour movie.
More important to me is that the 'new information' from the prequels and whatever else is written about Dune after FH's death, is kept out. Most of it is heavily inferior to the original works, and degenerates their quality to mere sensation-minded pulp scifi. Who ever disagrees with this needs to read the original books again, and again, and again... till he gets it.
I cannot believe people still like the Lynch version. It had almost NOTHING to do with the book whatsoever, and isn't even close to what the book describes. granted I've only read the original novel, because I hate sequels and Dune is a self contained story, but I see almost nothing right in the Lynch film. I realize Lynch is one of those director's that people grew up watching in the 80s, and he's got a lot of fanboys out there, but take a step back and look at the movie itself (forget that Lynch directed it), and you'll see almost nothing is accurate in content or in essence. The few things he did right are so far over shadowed by what he got wrong, that's I consider his Dune the worst adaptation from book to film ever done. It's really that bad. And someone had the nerve to say he should have done LOTR? Are you serious? holy cow....
I know, at first berbert liked what Lynch was doing, but if I recall, after the movie was completed, didn't Herbert turn against the thing because it was so aweful? (or was that Lynch who admitted it sucked, I can't remember?) Regardless his Dune is God aweful and I hope he stay the heck away from any other classic works of fiction. (and I actually like Lynches other movies, but Dune is not supposed to be "Lynch-weirdness"....it's, well Dune.
The scifi channel version while not perfect, was pretty decent. But not the definiitve version I imagine...(although I think Saskia Reeves was the perfect Jessica, at least for the first 2 parts of the scifi mini series, she kind of fell apart in the 3rd part though)
I so hope to see a LOTR treatment for Dune, but we will see....
Have a look near the beginning of of Heretics of DUNE at the physical decription of Odrade. Tall, slender, long face (on longish nose) that all tapers down to a point, with severe but soft features. The ability to present an icy Bene Gesserit exterior, or show caring and tenderness. The physicality to be believable as a superfast hand to hand fighter.
Odrade and Lucilla were bred by the BG to be the spitting image of the original Jessica, in order to confuse and manipulate Duncan Idaho ghola.
After reading that description, Claudia Black (Farscape, Stargate SG-1) becomes a very compelling choice.
Both and Lynch and the SciFi series had their flaws, but both had positives. The biggest positive being that they introduced new fans to the series and each version appealed to a different set of people.
We all should hope for a success.
An interesting point could be made to make the Legends of Dune series first to stir interest and hit the mainstream audiences.
Whatever form this new film version of *Dune* will take, no matter how well-intentioned the director is on capturing it faithfully, it will never come across as it does in our minds when reading the novel(s)- hence the phrase- "the book is always better than the movie" (very few exceptions). That being said- it's always great to see another attempt being made to "get it right". Based on the comments on this thread - Lynch version v. SciFi version- As a fan of the classic Dune series since the '70's - at this point-ANY version will be welcome. There will be no new Frank Herbert Dune books(the travesty of the son's sad attempts to further the series is not worth the paper they're printed on- they are "dumbed down" ghosts of his father's masterpiece.) As long as the movies sticks with FH's vision- it's essence, no matter how watered down will give hope that someday someone will get it right... as a fan...it's feast (the books) or famine (another movie)...
I am a huge fan of all of the Frank Herbert books from the Dune series, but I don't think that I will have a popular opinion regarding this new remake.
Unless the have the budget and the talent to do a remake on the scale of LOTR, do not even attempt to try to re-tell the storry from the book. I would greatly prefer that they re-envision the story in way that make sense for a good, solid 2.5 hour sci fi action movie, combining excellent action sequence and visual effects, with enough of the legend and Bene Gesserit themes to make the Universe interesting. They can anchor the story in the arch of Paul's character, and his coming of age story in a background of the BG, the Navigators, and the Worms.
I think the Wachowski brothers would do the best at this movie, and I hope that they would not be scared to deal with sexuality.
The goal of the film should be to keep the story alive and encourage a new generation of people to read the books, not to try to capture all of the lushness and detail of the story. As someone commented up thread, the magic of these books takes place inside the Character's minds. There are just things that you cannot capture, like the Missionaria Protectiva, that require you to read the stories.
In regards to the previous attempts to make Dune a movie, I agree that Lynch film had a better vision of the Universe but, gawd, Weirding Modules? WTF? And while I like the dark tone, I think that the Harkonnen's were taken too far -- I know they were evil and all that, but they had these crazy reverse mohawks, and stared around like they were all just lobotomized. The Baron needs to be more obese, and portrayed in a way that is unsettling but not grotesque -- what was up with that scene where he attacks this youth and practically eats him after pulling his heart plug??? The Baron is vain, manipulative, and yeah, sociopathic, but a cannibal or vampire?
It is too bad that Lynch did not have the technology and budget to do justice to the planet and to the Worms, which were practically big Oven Mits coming out of a miniature set.
Jessica is horrible, whining wench in the Lynch film. Very pretty, but she rambles through the second half of the film as a tag along victim moaning and crying her situation, when in the book she was willfully manipulating the Fremen religious beliefs for her own survival. She is anything but a victim in these stories. Hell, in Children of Dune she shows up ready to kill her grandson Leto after going back to the BG.
And what is to say about the sci fi channel, other than they did a monumental job with a total budget of 1.25 cents. The whole thing was filmed in 6 weeks in the Czech Republic, and some of the acting is beyond amateur. Paul's character is well acted, I think, as was Leto's in Children, but Irulan is given far too sympathetic a portrayal that is not justified in the books anywhere. I mean she is practically 007 in the Sci Fi Channel, and while I appreciate this attempt to make her interesting, there is limited screen time and it is given to her over Tufir Hawat, who is totally written out of the Sci Fi script.
But the most disappointing in the Sci Fi is their vision of the Bene Gesserit who are stripped of everything interesting and devious about them in favor of just being this one middle aged and sort of mean woman with an accent. Lynch was 100 x better at portraying them, even though his Jessica was lame.
The one bright spot from Children of Dune miniseries was Alice Krieg in this role.
I would LOVE to see her in the new movie reprise this role, or have her play older and have her play the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
Also, Feyd as some kind closeted Abercrombie and Fitch model? Please... if I want porn I'll get it somewhere else, I want to see someone believable as a mass murder and slave owner. And the Baron was awful, though the actor really tried, the character was just not even evil -- why, because he ryhmed when he detailed his plots?
All in all, while truer to the plot, the Sci Fi channel suffers from watering down everything dark and sinister about this story into something safe for Television, which combined with the terribly cheap Dune sets makes it difficult to even sit next to the actual books on the same shelf.
So yeah -- don't try to tell the whole story, make a good action movie that keeps the darkness of these characters alive, stands on it's own not as an attempt to go line by line of the book, and gets a new generation of readers to pick up the book and get to the really good stuff that just can't translate to screen.
And the Navigators do not fold space!
Dune is one of those books you read again and again, you always find new details you missed before. How about a TV series. SCIFI net did a great job with \"Battlestar Galactica\" - that was definitely not low budget. And the fan base for Dune is a lot bigger!
Still, Urslua LeGuin discovered just how badly a book can be mangled by SCIFI with the Earthsea trilogy. Make sure Herbert Jr, and Anderson have some creative rights to the screenplay.
I saw the Lynch movie in the theater in 1984. I was 16 and had never heard of it, but went with my boyfriend and his parents. I decided to read the book and was hooked. I have every book (no matter who wrote it), and re-read them at least once a year. I own every version of movie that was made that I know of, and like each one for different reasons.
To me, I am a fan of the Dune Universe, and I want my "fix" any way I can get it. It is entertainment. I am not a "purist" as many are and maybe that is why I can enjoy all of the books and/or movies.
I think that the Dune Universe and storyline is now long enough to warrant a series on Sci-Fi. They should have an opening with Battlestar Gallactica cancelled. It could start either with the "Legends" depicting the war between the thinking machines and humanity, or with the "House" books and go from there. If you think about it, the mini-series that Sci-Fi did already would be 12 1-hour episodes. It's just an idea.
I also think that Sci-Fi has had some amazing actors that should be utilized for the new Dune movie. Someone mentioned Claudia Black already as Jessica, but there are others.
Clive Owen as Duke Leto (not a Sci-Fi actor, but I like him)
Ben Browder (Farscape / Stargate) would make a good Duncan.
Ian Holm (I think that is the right name) who played the Baron would still be a good Baron, just don't make him rhyme.
James McAvoy as Paul instead of Leto II.
Alice Kriege as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
To me there has only been 1 Piter DeVries and that is the actor who played him in the Lynch movie and I'm drawing a blank on his name??
Always remember...fear is the mind killer.
I am a huge fan of Dune so here is my comment on some of the comments.
#1. Lynch sucks I hate his movies and he ruined Dune.
#2. The SCI-FI channel did a pretty good job but there were some missing elements in both Dune and Children of Dune but like the guy said up there somewhere they needed a bigger budget.
#3. Whoever suggested Speilberg or Lucas is a complete moron. What do you want, horrible child actors and nonstop product placement? In Dune?
#4. Totally agree with the guy who said GEOD is the best book, Duncan Idaho rocks and any fan who has read the books knows he is bad ass!!
Leto II is also the shiznit I love when he taunts his Duncans by using the voices of his former friends. Leto II is also awesome because of his grandiose power and ruthlessness.
#5. Who the hell is Peter Berg? Wasn't he some failed actor who played a retarded guy in a movie where some dudes get frozen in the 50's and are thawed out in the 80's or some crap like that?
#6. How about instead of every SCI-FI geek (myself included) getting angry that they are gonna screw it up again, wait and see.
#7. The Thopters in the SCI-FI version did have flapping gyroscopic wings maybe they didn't flap the way you all wanted them to? but that, to me, is about the dumbest detail of this great story to be focused on and a really stupid reason to not enjoy the 6 HOUR mini-series with no budget that blew Lynch's billion dollar bomb away!! If we are gonna nitpick about stupid details I didn't see anyone bagging on the fact that neither Duke Leto or Paul had black hair or the hawklike aquiline nose they speak of in the books. I am sorry, this has nothing to do with what I was saying but I hate Kyle Mclachlan or however you spell his name. What a puss to play Paul and an even bigger puss to be Emperor Muad'Dib the ruthless master of the Universe. OK back to bitching about comments. (I will give you this, I believe the SCI-FI version spelled Muad'Dib wrong on the screen when part two begins on the DVD.)
#8. Sayyadina 67 you are ridiculous. First I hate that Lynch made the movie so God Damned dark. That sucked. As the other guy said up there somewhere Dune was not a dark planet. It is a desert for crying out loud!! and yes I know you meant atmospherically but that sucked too. How could their universe be all that horrible when they describe the mirth of Gurney, the beautiful oceans of Caladan and the awe inspiring sunsets on Arrakis? One thing I would like to see more of are some of the secondary Fremen. I would love to see some Fremen raids on the Harkonnen store houses pre-Atreides and also more of sietch life when Duncan goes to live with them.
#8. I would actually prefer this movie to go the LOTR route and get some no-names to play the lead roles not to mention the incredible budget.
OK I am done goodbye
With regards to adapting any work of literature to screen, changes are inevitable, and with a work as complex and intricate as Dune they're absoulutely neccessary. It's a wierd irony that you need to deviate from the written text to be faithful to it. The differences between the mediums of written word and film are huge and you need to communicate the same ideas and concepts with different methods. An idea a character thinks in the book will have to be expressed some other way, such as dialogue between two characters. To make that possible you need to create a scene where that dialogue can be spoken or add it to an existing scene. You might even have to give it to a different character or use it in a different part of the story - that's just the nature of adaptation.
I feel all the previous attempts at adapting Dune - including the failed film adaptations that proceeded Lynchs' - have something to offer but none have truelly suceeded. The Lynch version deviated from story in an attempt to condense the book into one film, the miniseries the compensate for low budget. Both misfired on certain characters - I hated the Baron Harkonens for being camp and goofy, whereas I always saw Vladimar as cold, meticulous and diabolical. I'd avoid Celebrity casting like the plague... you need a lot of good actors, you can't afford to blow your budget on one or two stars. I do confess a few nerdish fantasies of seeing Patrick Stewart playing Thufir (he's too good-looking for Gurney!) and someone like Djimon Houson for Stilgar (no-one said he had to be white after all).
I hope they do a good job, I liked the Sci Fi version, but some things still weren't right. Lynch's version for the most part was bad, but I did like the sandworm riding and the sandworms and Patrick Stewart. But it does need to be done like Peter Jackson's LOTR, with love, time and care.
Here is my Cast, even though some have been in it before I don't care, they were perfect and since those earlier versions weren't done right it doesn't matter.
Paul Atreides-James McAvoy
Leto Atriedes and Emperor Shaddam-Hawk looking actors
Jessica Atriedes-Cate Blanchett
Piter DeVries-Brad Dourif
Hasmir Fenring-Jeffrey Combs
Chani-Kristin Kreuk
Gurney Halleck-Sean Bean
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen-Phillip Seymore Hoffman
Beast Rabban-Wrestler
Feyd Rautha-Hot, Cocky-Model
Stilgar-an Unknown
Liet Kynes-actor from SCI FI VERSION
Duncan Idaho-Christian Bale
Dr. Yueh-Gary Oldman
Lady Fenring-Hot, smart model
Thufir Hawat-Anthony Hopkins
Dune Messiah
Skytale-Andrew Robinson
God Emperor of Dune
Hwi Noree-Jolene Blalock
I love the 1984 David Lynch version for the look and feel of the distant future. Remember, this all takes place some 15,000-20,000 years into our future, so people, technology, attitudes and styles should be dramatically different than what we know today. I like how this film portrayed the Bene Gesserit as a powerful yet behind-the-scenes-manipulating force. I like how very strange and weird some of the characters, places and things were depicted. It certainly gave me an other-worldly feel. Even the "low" tech was interesting, especially in keeping with the directive that prohibits thinking machines. These are all humans who have evolved and changed. These are a people who, for all intents and purposes, pretty much no longer even know anything of Earth and the old worlds. The film suffered from disorganization and disagreement between the director (Lynch) and the producers. Some scenes were totally useless (like when the Baron gloats over having captured Thufir Hawat, etc.). What's truly missing from this film is stuff like a good example of what the relationship is between the spice, the worms and the Water of Life. While the whole weirding modules bit was purely abstract from the original story, it did make for some additional action. The Weirding Way was correctly depicted in the later mini-series as a form of movement heavily influenced by Prana-bindu physical and psychological training., a martial art, if you will. Stuff like this needs to be carefully submitted. While the idea of sharing the characters' thoughts with us is excellent, this film overdid it and for some insignificant moments. I DO like its adaptation of the blue-within-blue eyes of the Fremen (the mini-series' Fremen eyes were just glowing like light bulbs...cheesy). Oh yes...the score by Toto/Eno was great. That, too, gave me that other-worldly feel especially when coupled with the psychidelic visions. Very eerie, mystifying and intriguing sounds and music.
The Sci-Fi mini-series Dune and subsequent Children of Dune were great in keeping close to the story. They portrayed the hierarchical structure of the great houses and the empire fairly well. The heavy Middle Eastern influences in the books were brought to life in their depiction of Arrakis and its inhabitants. I LOVED the Guild's heighliners and the other vessels shown. Very interesting, indeed. They a good attempt at showing just how ruthless and feverent Mua'Dib was as a ruler as well as exhibiting the complex structure of the hierarchy in the imperium and the great houses. While I did enjoy the cruel, weird, evil and sick nature of the 1984 film's Harkonnen (certainly gave us a villain we couldn't WAIT to see our heroes defeat!), these newer films did a good job of showing us that the bad guys aren't necessarily ugly or cruel people, rather they can actually be decent looking folks who just happen to hold a grudge, are intelligent, selfish and scheming to affect their own means to an end. And I like the fact that the Sardukar terror troops looked more like assassins as opposed to the 1984 depiction (essentially faceless enemies in gas-filled space suits...WTF??). They also did some good development of intrigue and sub-plots. The sets and clothing-very stylish, indeed- the FX, were all quite good. They especially did a good job with explaining some certain very important aspects of the story such as the worms and their relationship to spice and the Water of Life, the development of pre-born persons and the key elements of the story leading up to and setting the stage for Leto II's reign and the Golden Path.
As for the upcoming movie, I hope it's NOT a re-make of Dune, nor of Children of Dune/Dune Messiah. I think what we've seen is enough. We need to move ON and get into the best book of the whole story: God Emperor of Dune, and go forth from there. A little background prior to teling the story would be helpful for the uninitiated. People need to know that this whole Dune story isn't just about spice and politics. It's about man's desire to live freely with his own conscience and conviction as opposed to the predestiny that exists in that time frame while defining himself throughout an ages-old battle between humans, organised religion and intelligent machines.
And, for what it's worth: the time is RIPE for a Dune series, now that Battlestar Galactica is drawing to a close and the whole Stargate bit is done. I think most everyone here can agree with me that Dune is a story that just simply cannot be told in one or two movies. This is a saga that spans millennia and is richly imbedded with the complexities of human nature, politics, technology, spiritualism, intrigue, social development and the pursuit of answers to the really big questions.
I am so beyond excited I want to pee my pants to just express myself! Lynch's version did have a mangled story line... weirding modules... what the hell? But in that time technology and studios weren't the same. The look and feel of it was very much to what I pictured in my mind. I hope it stays true to the text and gets Herberts message of human nature and political/ religous manipulation out! Even if its 3 hours long I don't think the fan base that has read the dune series over and over again would mind! The story is something that my kids will read, that generation have and will continue to love! Remake it again and again, it can only get better! But please keep in mind the personalities of the characters. Brian Herbert lost it a few times in the new additions as far as breaking characters like the bene gesserit some of them breaking down and whining like teenagers instead of being in control of their emotions and using calculated decision making. But I have to thank him for keeping the story going it is so sad that the genius had to end.
I would like to see the studio secure actors that could be retained for a trilogy. Don't get me wrong, just to see a new Dune movie would rock my world, but their is just to much to pack into one movie. I
I would also be VERY interested in seeing one of the prequels about a the machine wars. It would be nice to see the Norma and the beginning of the sisterhood. Not to mention the robot fleets.
YES! YES! YES! Oh how I hoped! The new one needs to capture the medieval attitude of it all: the gladiators, the duals to the death, Harconians as brutal slave drivers, and some good visuals for Christ's sake! The general poverty of the workers and the lavish palaces of the ruling class, and better explanations on WHY spice is so goddamn important! That's the whole friggin point of the story. CANT WAIT!!
FINALLY! Can't wait OMJFC! Totally exited. I know this is over the top but I'm so happy. This is the best day ever. DUNE! By the way, we need some black and other ethnic actors in there somewhere. Biggest thing about Lynch's version that pissed me off was how all the Fremen were dirty old white guys who only spoke in loud chants. I want desert warriors who show no mercy, not elderly hoboes! Think Tuscan Raider, but more kick ass. Who's with me? My excitement level out of 10: 99999999999999999!
Heretics Of Dune will make the best movie, if they ever get that far. It is better than Children, and I don't see how God Emperor translates to film well because Leto's body would be too hard to make convincing, and most of the book is him talking -- a great read though.
If done correctly there are two trilogies here with great characters and excellent story arcs: first the rise of Mua'dib through his death and then the ascendancy of his son, and second starting with Heretics, the destruction of Rakis, the defeat of the Honored Matres, escape on the no-ship, and culminating in the final battle with the machines. Though you would have to rewrite the ending because the current one sucks.
Looking forward to steamy scene with Duncan and Murbella : )
There is so much potential with the Dune universe, personally I think it's time to give Dune the credit it deserves and bring it to the forefront of the Sci Fi genre! The 1984 Dune David Lynch's version had the perfect atmosphere of mystic and wonder of the Arrakian desert and in addition the style uniqueness of the great houses and their allies!
Know your subject. Lynchs was not the first film/
The movie can be made. Shame on you who criticise lynch's film cut down from a ridiculous 5 hours to 2. For many of us, it made us look for the books. IS that not enough? Who knows that the original was going to be done by weirdo Chilean diredtor Jawdowsky and star Salvador Dali as Emporer and feature pink floyd as the soundtrack with sets desgined by Giger from Aliens fame. Think on that.
It can only be done in parts, with each ending the audience wanting more (which is how Herbert describes his endings in an interview, he wants us to fill in/wish the rest of the hanging endings. He even admittted to the comment about Concubines spoken by Jessica "history will call us wives" being pure melodrama.)
The second movie can destroy the messiah. Thats what the second and third book is all about. Aside from the ridiculous godly rain, Lynch never went beyond that point. He didnt misrepresent anything. yeah, weirding modules were silly.
We can criticise afters its done, good luck.
Drunkenly out.
I believe in all fairness Lynch was forced to compromise due to the lack of financial support. This constraint alone made it damn near impossible for him to to do the Dune novel justice. I also remember thinking to myself ,before the original movie came out, that this story would never be fully understood by common folk who had not read the novel. I think I was correct. Perhaps this new film will have a better chance at the box office since more people who have read into the Dune universe. One can only pray this might be true.
Whoa... I was so excited about 3 months ago that I could scarcely contain myself. A new DUNE film!!!!!! But now I can't help thinking - in the current financial climate, does any Hollywood studio really have enough "spice" to bankroll a film like DUNE. After all, in order for any of us to like it (and not be as deeply critical and overly analytical as we obviously are) the film will need to redefine the term "epic" in every dimension of it's presentation. And epic costs money right? And David Lynch didn't have quite enough money, did he? ... And the Sci Fi Channel didn't have enough money either, did they? ...
Much as it pains me to suggest this, I would rather wait until the time is right for this project to come to fruition. Maybe that's no time soon.
I'm over the moon that Peter Berg is doing a remake of Dune. I've always been a huge fan of Dune.
I read most of the novels and I don't think there's any other sci-fi story that could equal the complexity and the genius of Frank Herbert's books. Star Wars is good but it is light-years away from the powerful vision of Frank Herbert's future Galactic Empire. Dune is the source of all great science fiction works. I believe the David Lynch 1984 version is absolutely amazing. I love that film and I wish I could kill the people who dare say it's crap. Maybe it is crap in America, but here in Europe it is considered a Cult Movie!
Why? It is absolutely stunning! The special effects are not that good, but it is the scenario is unique. It is very onirical in its way and very prophetical. I love the 'atmosphere' of the film. I love dreams. That film was not meant to be adventurous or full of action-packed special effects in the first place. That was the big misunderstanding. The film is much deeper than that...I'm sorry you special effect lovers, but science fiction should not always be so damn clichè....David Lynch is a genius and his film adaptation of the novel is a master piece. Do you wanna know what's real crap? The 2000 mini-series is horrible!!!!!! it is an insult to Frank Herbert and it is simply ridicoulous! Children of Dune is a lot better, but still it is no match for the novels or the Lynch film. It looks like Star Trek!!!
I'm longing to see the new version by Peter berg but i'm sure it won't beat the 1984 movie! I'm so happy that this film has more fans here in Europe that overseas.
Well said, Just a Lad. I saw the 1984 film before I read the books, and while I do wish the film had stuck more closely to the books, on its own it wasn't a bad film.
The miniseries tried harder to stick to the books (Yay?). Shame it was awful. It LOOKED stupid and FELT wrong somehow. Doesn't help that I've ever liked that style of costume in any sci-fi or fantasy, let alone in a dark and gritty setting like Dune.
The film had some amazing casting, even if it did go astray.
And I agree, the internal monologs and such will be hard to do, they are a significant part of what make the books so damned good.
That said, I will be going to see this new film when it comes out, and I hoop they do it justice whether it takes one film or three to do just the first book. I would rather see no film at all than another unsatisfactory effort.
I say give Berg a chance.
A lot of people are slagging Berg off even before he's had a shot. I am willing to let him have one: he says he is a big fan of Dune. OK so I dont agree with all his comments on Dune and I really didn't like Hancock but, the studios know with LoTR, HP and Trek that hardcore fans can be kept reasonably happy if the plot, atmosphere and philosophy of the original is preserved: Berg has said he is well aware of fan sensitivities and I have high hopes.
This is coming along quicker than expected as far as casting is concerned.
Steve Innes, the Aussie actor (but British born, Jo!) looks set to take on the (much expanded) role of Gurney Halleck, though he read for Duke Leto initially.
Steve (39) is also to be the next Mad Max when MMIV is filmed in Australia this year or next.
A bit of trivia: Steve Innes is from Perth, same as Sam Worthington and the late, great Heath Ledger.
Hi guys,
Berg Fan is pretty much on the money for except one point: I didn't read for Leto, rather Duncan Idahao and Gurney, both characters being favourites of mine and more suited to me than probably any other.
My agent called me to say that the role of Leto was probably suited better to someone in his 50's, so 'Im too young in any case.
The roles of Duncan and Gurney however, are pretty much open to own nterpretation as far as age is concerned so we played it this way.
No, my daughter is not being considered for the role of Alia. She is only 2 and Alia will be at least 4 in this story by the time she is relevant.
To those who have reported I read for and/or got the role of Feyd Rautha: Wrong! I did no such thing.
Indeed, I am not guaranteed anything at his stage. Like hundreds of others I was nominated by our agents, read for parts, done screentests and have attended call-backs, some more often than others.
Like all the others I hope that success will eventually arrive but it is by no means a certain thing.
S.I.
Perth, Australia.
Our 
