Denis Villeneuve to direct sci-fi epic reboot, 'Dune'

Image from Odyssey

By Darian Scalamoni

            Denis Villeneuve is becoming somewhat of a connoisseur when it comes to sci-fi film. With his most recent film, Arrival being an awards contender, along with the upcoming Blade Runner 2049, he’s certainly getting a good repertoire together. He revealed recently that his dream would be to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune and now according to Variety, it appears his dream is coming true.

            Legendary got their hands on the TV and Film rights last month and now the studio is in talks with Villeneuve who also directed Prisoners and Sicario to helm the film version of the long-running novel franchise. Alejandro Jodorowsky famously attempted to adapt the property in the mid-70s but he wasn’t successful. He later chronicled this in the documentary, Jordorowsky’s Dune. It was David Lynch though who adapted the original novel in 1984 led by Kyle MacLachlan. The film has achieved cult status but was a commercial and critical failure when it was first released.

            The premise of Dune is as follows: “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 the 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.”