The recent swathe of awards nominations for Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival restored the faith of sci-fi fans around the world. Ted Chiang’s beautifully constructed tale ‘Stories of Your Life’ was adapted perfectly to the big screen by Villeneuve and screenwriter Eric Heisserer, and was a wonderful alternative to the plotless CG action sci-fi films we’ve seen so many of. The director has been circling another epic sci-fi project for a number of weeks, and today it has been confirmed that he’s taking on the Dune reboot for Legendary pictures.
Earlier today Brian Herbert (son of Dune creator Frank Herbert, and sci-fi author in his own right) tweeted the following good news:
It's official — Legendary Pictures has signed the very talented Denis Villeneuve to direct the exciting new DUNE series film project.
— Brian Herbert (@DuneAuthor) February 1, 2017
The famously divisive 1984 film version from David Lynch is perhaps the first image of Herbet’s masterwork conjured up to many of us. The unwieldy film was a far cry for Lynch (who returns to his own masterwork, Twin Peaks, in May of this year) whose Eraserhead and The Elephant Man were very focused, very dark studies of humanity. To capture the entirety of Dune in a single film was always going to be a struggle. Those interested in this, and interested in filmmaking at all should check out the incredible documentary of a famously unmade version in Jodorowsky’s Dune.
It’s a fair bet that, having recently secured the rights to Dune, Legendary will seek to make more than one film, and possibly expand to TV to tell their stories. Villeneuve may well not stay on to direct more than the initial film, however his imprint will be on everything that comes after it. It’s an exciting prospect to have another Dune film in the works, not least from the man entrusted to bring us back to the world of Blade Runner, with the eagerly awaited sequel Blade Runner 2049.
Director Denis Villeneuve Sicario Interview
