Happy um-what-day-is-it? The days have become such a blur lately… and honestly, it’s tough to keep motivated during the lockdown, and the not-knowing when this whole thing would actually end is the toughest part. Summer’s practically been canceled, which if you’ve lived in places like Minnesota, that’s so devastating given how fleeting Summer is and ‘Spring’ is an on-and-off affair (I mean we just got a blizzard in some parts of MN on Easter weekend!).

Ok, venting over. I’d rather focus on the positive and look to the future! Well, since this is a film blog, one of the films that [hopefully] won’t get canceled is DUNE. Its release date is December 18.

Of course, an astute person already saw the glaring similarities of DUNE’s logo to an NBC sci-fi series that aired in 2006, ha! I actually like the look of the original one they posted a few months ago, it looked far more modern w/ an aerial image of sand dunes in the background.

In any case… the photos posted by Vanity Fair yesterday look stunning, they’re mostly the star-studded cast in costumes, but certainly made me even more anxious to see it! You can see them in video form thanks to MovieGasm, and I also posted the photos below.

Honestly, I’m not that familiar about DUNE, which is based on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novels. I haven’t seen the David Lynch 1984 version (I’ve watched the trailer a couple of times but haven’t mustered enough interest to actually watch it), nor the two-part series on Sci-Fi channel. But once Denis Villeneuve‘s attached to direct a two-part films, I’m immediately intrigued. So I’ve been reading a ton of stuff about this adaptation and how this version is supposed to be different.

Consider this a summary of what I’ve read so far, that some of you might find helpful.

Thanks to this comprehensive Reddit post, here’s the official synopsis:

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Timothée Chalamet is definitely Hollywood’s boy du jour right now, and I think he’d be good as the young protagonist. I like the idea of Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac as Chalamet’s parents!

The amazing ensemble cast!

Here’s the full cast list (thanks to that Reddit post):

Character	Actor	Films Actors’ Known For
Paul Atreides	Timothée Chalamet	Ladybird, Call Me By Your Name
Lady Jessica	Rebecca Ferguson	Mission Impossible, The Greatest Showman
Duke Leto Atreides	Oscar Isaac	Ex Machina, Star Wars
Gurney Halleck	Josh Brolin	No Country for Old Men, The Avengers
Duncan Idaho	Jason Momoa	Game of Thrones, Aquaman
Dr. Liet-Kynes	Sharon Duncan-Brewster	Rogue One, Sex Education series
Reverend Mother Mohiam	Charlotte Rampling	Broadchurch, The Verdict, 45 Days
Baron Harkonnen	Stellan Skarsgård	Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Good Will Hunting
Feyd-Rautha	Tye Sheridan	Ready Player One, Dark Phoenix, Mud
Piter De Vries	David Dastmalchian	Prisoners, Ant-man
Count Glossu Rabban	Dave Bautista	Guardians of the Galaxy, Blade Runner 2049
Dr. Wellington Yueh	Chang Chen	Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Assassin
Stilgar	Javier Bardem	No Country for Old Men, Skyfall
Chani	Zendaya	Spiderman, The Greatest Showman
Jamis	Babs Olusanmokun	Black Mirror, The Night Of, The Defenders
TBA	Stephen Henderson	Fences, Ladybird, Lincoln
Harah	Gloria Obiano	High Life, Good Omens

First look at Dr. Wellington Yueh in DUNE. pic.twitter.com/IwcZBnVzRB

— ⊃∪∩⪽ (@DuneNews) April 16, 2020

What is the story about exactly?

Per Vanity Fair article… Villeneuve sees this story of a planet being mined to death as something prophetic “No matter what you believe, Earth is changing, and we will have to adapt,” It’s hard to argue that our earth has been overexploited no matter which spectrum you are in the climate change debate. Villeneuve, who’s producing his own film for the first time, sees the story as a ‘call to action for the youth.’ I can see Greta Thunberg liking this movie a lot!

Since the French Canadian filmmaker is set on ‘going back to [Herbert’s] book and going to the images that came out when I read it’ (per Yahoo article), here’s a brief summary of the novel per SparkNotes:

Dune is based on a complex imagined society set roughly 20,000 years in the future. The setting is the year 10,191, and human beings have spread out and colonized planets throughout the universe. On the planet Caladan, Duke Leto of the House of Atreides is preparing to leave for his new position as the governor of Arrakis, a desert planet with valuable resources of melange, a spice drug that is extremely popular with wealthy people. Leto and his family, including his concubine, Jessica, and his son, Paul, suspect a trap by their rivals, the Harkonnens, led by Baron Harkonnen. Leto decides to settle on Arrakis because of its rich supplies of melange, despite warnings from his men, including his adviser, Thufir Hawat, and his master-of-arms, Gurney Halleck.

The Atreides arrive on Arrakis and the duke quickly moves to secure the planet from a Harkonnen attack. His main plan is to enlist the Fremen, the tough natives of the Arrakeen desert, as soldiers and advisers. Meanwhile, Paul’s and Jessica’s special abilities intrigue the Fremen. Jessica is a member of the Bene Gesserit, a school of quasi-mystical witches with strange powers. The Fremen believe that Jessica and her son are saviors who have come to lead them toward creating a lush paradise on the dry Arrakis.

Some interesting trivia about DUNE 2020

(thanks to Reddit, Vanity Fair, Nerdist, THR, Inverse.com) 

• Denis Villeneuve confirmed that his adaptation of Dune will be split into at least two films, in order to ensure that the original story would be “preserved and not cut into a million pieces.”
• Budapest is one the primary shooting location for the film. Denis will once again be working with Origo Film Studios who provided many of the stages and facilities used in the shooting of Blade Runner 2049. The other location for the sand dune landscape is remote regions outside Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where temperatures can reach 100 degrees.
• Zendaya is playing Chani, seen here wearing the signature Fremen stillsuit. The suit’s designed to recapture the maximum amount of moisture and the nose tube is to reclaim vapor from every breath. As for those piercing blue eyes, it’s a condition caused by consuming melange (a.k.a. spice), a drug produced in Arrakis’ sands.

  

• Charlotte Rampling, who will star in this upcoming adaptation of the 1965 novel, originally wanted to play Lady Jessica in Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s failed Dune project, but declined the offer due to a scene that involved 2,000 extras defecating at once.
• Rampling will play the Reverend Mother Mohiam, the emperor’s truthsayer, a person who can divine intentions, suss out lies and manipulate people’s emotional states.
• In an intriguing change to the source material, Villeneuve has also updated Dr. Liet Kynes, the leading ecologist on Arrakis and an independent power broker amid the various warring factions. Although always depicted as a white man, the character is now played by a black British actress Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Rogue One).

  

• Hans Zimmer is set to score the film, having worked with Villeneuve previously on Blade Runner 2049.
• In June 2019, a TV spinoff titled Dune: The Sisterhood was announced, which would be overseen by Villeneuve and focused on the mysterious Bene Gesserit, a key social, religious, and political force in the fictional Dune universe.

Splitting Dune into two films

Now, about the part that the film will be a two-part series. We’ve seen that in major finales of lucrative franchises like Harry Potter, Hunger Games and The Avengers are split into two movies. Honestly, I’m not too fond of that idea as it’s really a money-making scheme. But with this one, I feel like there is merit.

Per the VF article, Villeneuve said “I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie…The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details.” I haven’t read the book but I can see how such a dense, multi-layered story would be challenging to adapt. The director has said this project has been the most difficult thing he’s ever done… “It’s a book that tackles politics, religion, ecology, spirituality—and with a lot of characters,”

I’d even think making it as a miniseries might be the best format, but then again, the grand visuals would be something amazing to see on the big screen. Oh man, to actually be able to experience movies with fellow film fans again in a movie theater… those are simple joys we’ve all taken for granted!

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Ok that’s all I’ve got on Dune so far… but speaking of power in the details, let me just end this post with this um, epic photo…

I bow to thee Duke Atreides… yowza! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Sorry, just got to get that out of the way… man, can’t wait to see the trailer for this!!

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Are you excited about this new DUNE adaptation? Let me know your thoughts!

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