Movie Dune

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I'm not talking about the 1984 version, directed by David Lynch and produced by Dino DeLaurentiis, which took substantial liberties with the Frank Herbert novel.

I'm talking about the new version of Dune, to be directed by Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Sicario, Arrival), with Villeneuve co-writing the script with Eric Roth and John Spaihts and producing with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter. The novel will be split into two movies with the first likely to be released in 2020.

So far, Timothee Chalamet (Paul Atreides), Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica), Stellan Skarsgard (Baron Vladimir Harkonnen) and Dave Bautista (the Beast Rabban) are confirmed to be starring in the film, with Variety reporting that Oscar Isaac is in talks to appear as Duke Leto Atreides.

Personally, I'm looking forward to this. I love Dune and re-read it at last once a year. The sequels fell away in quality pretty quickly and I don't touch the crapola that Frank's son Brian Herbert (who controls his father's estate and is listed as an executive producer on the film) and Kevin J. Anderson wrote (Anderson is listed as a creative consultant).

The fact that Brian Herbert and Anderson are involved give me pause, but Villeneuve is a quality film maker so hopefully he won't let Herbert and Anderson stuff it up.
 
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I'll always have a soft spot for Dune. I remember my Dad reading it when we on holiday back when I was 11. He was a notorious non-reader, so that piqued my interest. I went on to read through to Chapter house, but from 4 onwards they got worse and worse and couldn't continue. Still it got me into sci-fi, which not long after got me into reading Fantasy, that I found was my true reading love (and still is 35 years, * feeling old, later).

The 1984 movie wasn't so bad if you'd read the book. I'd read it not that long before first seeing it, so it made (mostly) sense. The effects were great (for it's time). If you hadn't read the book it would have been a confusing mess, as it skipped over too much. The 2000 mini-series wasn't as big budget, but was a better adaptation.

A faithful reproduction of the book with a decent budget could be great. Could. Hopefully not another disappointing book to movie / TV-series adaptation. For me I'd say about half the books I've read that were adapted I've liked, so coin toss at this stage.
 

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Bomberboyokay

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Never read the book but heard about it. Is it true it's awesome if you read it as a teenager but not so great if you're well into adulthood?
 
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More actors have signed on. Current list of confirmed cast members:

Paul Atreides - Timothee Chalamet

Duke Leto Atreides - Oscar Isaac

Lady Jessica - Rebecca Ferguson

Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam - Charlotte Rampling

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen - Stellan Skarsgard

Glossu "Beast" Rabban - Dave Batista

Duncan Idaho - Jason Momoa

Gurney Halleck - Josh Brolin

Stilgar - Javier Bardem

Chani - Zendaya

Important characters yet to be cast:

Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV

Princess Irulan

Feyd-Rautha

Thufir Hawat

Alia

Dr Wellington Yueh

Piter de Vries

Hasimir Fenring

Lady Margot Fenring

Dr Liet Kynes

Shadout Mapes
 
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220px-Dune2_BOD.jpg
 
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David Dastmalchian is confirmed as assuming the role of the twisted Mentat, Piter de Vries (played by Brad Dourif in the 1984 adaptation of the novel). Jason Momoa is confirmed as playing Duncan Idaho (played by Richard Jordan in the 1984 adaptation). There are unconfirmed reports that Zendaya will play Chani.

Principal photography starts this month (locations include Budapest and the deserts of Jordan), so there is some urgency to fill the remaining roles, with a release date scheduled for 20 November 2020.
 
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Never read the book but heard about it. Is it true it's awesome if you read it as a teenager but not so great if you're well into adulthood?


I know this is a very late reply but I think it holds up pretty well and is worth a read particularly if you've enjoyed fantasy or scifi books before. In some ways it kind of works for the same reason Star Wars does, on one level its a familiar chosen one story but the world Herbert created to tell it in is fantastic.
 
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Someone made up a graphic of the announced cast. It's interesting that its in post production and there is still no confirmation of who's playing Feyd-Rautha (Sting in the 84 movie). Its a great cast and there is no reason they can't get the special effects right (well except for money) so cautiously hoping that they finally get this one right.



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Villeneuve has also already started work on a TV series Dune: The Sisterhood which will focus on one of the major factions in the story and I'm assuming will take place in the same world as the movies.
 

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They just need the script because everything we've seen (which admittedly isn't much) says they've got the cast and the feel of Dune. Oscar Isaac looking fully in command as Duke Leto :thumbsu:.
 
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Someone made up a graphic of the announced cast. It's interesting that its in post production and there is still no confirmation of who's playing Feyd-Rautha (Sting in the 84 movie). Its a great cast and there is no reason they can't get the special effects right (well except for money) so cautiously hoping that they finally get this one right.



View attachment 787552









Villeneuve has also already started work on a TV series Dune: The Sisterhood which will focus on one of the major factions in the story and I'm assuming will take place in the same world as the movies.

I only just noticed this. It's a good graphic, but I must take issue with classifying Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam with House Corrino. She's part of the Bene Gesserit, who were one of the props for Shaddam IV's reign in the novels. She's not and never was part of House Corrino.
 
Never read the book but heard about it. Is it true it's awesome if you read it as a teenager but not so great if you're well into adulthood?
I read it as an adult and it's epic. There's some pretty deep concepts in there that I wouldn't expect a teenager to fully understand...religion, colonisation, politics, technology/environmentalism relationship.
 
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Official trailer released earlier today. Looks good. I had some doubts over Chalamet as Paul Atreides but he seems to fit. We only see a glimpse of Batista as the Beast Rabban and I didn't see Vladimir Harkonnen at all. Perhaps I missed him.

 
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I think I heard him but couldn't see him on the microscreen.

Yeah, I first watched the trailer at breakfast while everyone else was watching TV, so I didn't have the sound up. Will have to re-watch.

Ironically, I have just finished rereading Dune and Dune Messiah, and just started Children of Dune.

From memory, Dune is split into two movies with the first out in November and the second out next year.
 

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