“He who controls the spice controls the universe.”
If there was any doubt about the director Denis Villeneuve would approach with his adaption of Dune that can be put to rest. Villeneuve says he hopes to adapt Frank Herbert’s acclaimed novel with the visions he imagined as a child, not how David Lynch depicted the world of Dune in the ’80s. Most directors would not be given the keys to a massive endeavor such as Dune after the disappointing box office of Blade Runner 2049, but Villeneuve is not any director. Despite box office receipts were less than anticipated the quality of Blade Runner 2049 was up to expectations and continued Villeneuve’s winning streak.
Even though he has been making a movie every year for the past three years now with Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve is going to take a little break before attempting to bringing the behemoth novel to the big screen. According to Indiewire, he is set to do the project for Legendary Pictures and he believes it will be the project of his lifetime. There is a general fear surrounding any attempt to adapt Herbert’s novel. Alejandro Jodorowsky tired to bring the project to fruition in the ’70s, featuring art from Alien artist H.R. Giger, but nothing ever came of that. And even though, Lynch was successful bring Dune to the big screen, he disliked the movie so much that he fought to remove his director credit from the movie.
Villeneuve says that although he greatly respects Lynch, his version of Dune will have nothing in common with the Lynch version. He said, “David Lynch did an adaptation in the ’80s that has some very strong qualities. I mean, David Lynch is one of the best filmmakers alive, I have massive respect for him. But when I saw his adaptation, I was impressed, but it was not what I had dreamed of, so I’m trying to make the adaptation of my dreams. It will not have any link to the David Lynch movie. I’m going back to the book, and going to the images that came out when I read it.” Villeneuve has said the images from the novel have haunted him for 35 years and that it is his dream project to complete. Cinema has changed quite a bit since the ’80s so it is time to take another stab at a Dune adaptation. There might be no director more suited to the task than Villeneuve.