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ThePlaylist wrote:Director Denis Villeneuve Says ‘Dune’ Will Be At Least Two Films

When “Blade Runner 2049” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve stepped on stage in Montreal’s Place des Arts’ Théâtre Maisonneuve for the Rendez-Vous du Cinema Quebecois this week, he expected a small crowd for an “intimate cinema lesson.” What he ended up stepping into was a packed house that holds more than 1,400 seats. Needless to say, Villeneuve is a bit of a hero in Quebec.

Maybe it was his nerves, or perhaps he was just feeling honest and forthcoming, but in front of that huge crowd, Villeneuve dropped a quick update on his forthcoming “Dune” adaptation. “Dune will probably take two years to make,” the director said. “The goal is to make two films, maybe more.” Do we have potential series or franchise on our hands? This ambitious film just got a little more complex.

For those that have read Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel, this news might a relief. Seeing as the book is fairly lengthy and incredibly dense, the idea of trying to capture the story in one film seems impossible (see David Lynch‘s version which never quite worked). Splitting up the movie into at least two parts would be the perfect way to adapt “Dune.” There’s a time jump in the middle of the book which makes the split quite easy to pull off. This would allow for Villeneuve to cut fewer scenes and give us the full two-part film, or more, he envisions.

Villeneuve’s comments also might bring to mind the director’s last film, “Blade Runner 2049.” Back in December, Villeneuve had revealed he had toyed, at least in the editing room, with the idea of releasing the sci-fi film in two separate parts (his assembly cut was 4 hours). The editor of the film described that cut as “quite strong,” but of course, even the nearly 3-hour running time of the theatrical releases was a type of kiss of death.

Dense and sprawling, “Dune” frankly needs more than one film to be properly told. It, of course, may all come down to its box office success or failure, but it’s fascinating to hear that Villeneuve has his eyes on something more expansive and enterprising than we all initially imagined.

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Yeah, Lynch thought he was doing two Dune films too and that worked out so well. I smell a box office dud. People don't have the patience for stories like Dune anymore.
Just cut them up like regular chickens

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holy shit momoa is duncan. duncan exists through almost every novel. this is great news. a fantastic addition to an already stellar cast. wow this is shaping up nicely.
/film wrote:Jason Momoa is Somehow the Latest Attractive Person in the ‘Dune’ Cast

This is starting to get ridiculous. Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune cast seems to grow every single day, and every single announcement features another fine looking specimen. The latest: Jason Momoa, who recently rode box office waves in Aquaman. Momoa is in talks to take on the role of Duncan Idaho, a “fierce swordsmaster.” Duncan Idaho doesn’t exactly sound like a futuristic name, but let’s just go with it anyway.

THR is reporting Jason Momoa is in talks to join the constantly growing Dune cast. When and if Momoa signs on the dotted line, he’ll be joining the following people: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin.

Here are some details about Duncan Idaho courtesy of Wikipedia:

Duncan is described as a handsome man with “curling black hair” to whom women are easily attracted. Paul Atreides notes Duncan’s “dark round face” and “feline movements, the swiftness of reflex that made him such a difficult weapons teacher to emulate.” Lady Jessica calls him “the admirable fighting man whose abilities at guarding and surveillance are so esteemed.” Duncan is fiercely loyal to House Atreides, is a skilled pilot, and as a Swordmaster of the Ginaz is a gifted hand-to-hand fighter.

Well, the “curling black hair” and attractiveness certainly fit Momoa, so good casting there, Villeneuve. As for those other cast members, here’s a rundown of who’s who:

Timothee Chalamet is playing protagonist Paul Atreides;
Stellan Skarsgard will portray villain Baron Vladimir Harkonnen;
Rebecca Ferguson is Lady Jessica, Paul Atreides’ mother;
Oscar Isaac is Duke Leto, Paul’s father;
Charlotte Rampling is Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam;
Dave Bautista takes on the role of Beast Rabban, Baron Harkonnen’s nephew;
Javier Bardem is Stilgar, a leader in the Fremen tribe who takes Paul under his wing;
and Josh Brolin plays Gurney Halleck, the warmaster for Chalamet’s character’s family.

I hope you memorized all of that, because there will be a test later.

Based on the novel by Frank Herbert, Dune is “set in the distant future amidst a feudal interstellar society in which noble houses, in control of individual planets,” and “tells the story of young Paul Atreides, whose noble family accepts the stewardship of the desert planet Arrakis. As this planet is the only source of the oracular spice melange, the most important and valuable substance in the universe, control of Arrakis is a coveted—and dangerous—undertaking. The story explores the multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, as the factions of the empire confront each other in a struggle for the control of Arrakis and its spice.”

Herbert’s novel is huge, so I imagine there’s still plenty of more roles for Villeneuve to fill. Which means you can expect even more good looking people to sign up soon!

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now we have a date!
Variety wrote:Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ Gets November 2020 Release Date

Warner Bros. has scheduled Legendary’s science-fiction tentpole “Dune” for a Nov. 20, 2020, release in 3D and Imax.

“Aquaman” star Jason Momoa is in negotiations to join the “Dune” reboot with Timothee Chalamet, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac, and Zendaya. Production is expected to launch in the spring in Budapest and Jordan.

“Dune” centers on the battle for control of the desert planet Arrakis. Chalamet is playing the leader Paul Atreides, who is forced to escape into the wastelands, where he eventually becomes the ruler of the nomadic tribes.

“Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049” director Denis Villeneuve is helming and co-writing the script with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts. The movie will be produced by Villeneuve, Mary Parent, and Cale Boyter, with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Thomas Tull, and Kim Herbert serving as executive producers.

“Dune” is based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel. The film is the first title to land on the Nov. 20, 2020, which is the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Warner Bros. also announced Friday that it has set release dates of Aug. 14 for British coming-of-age story “Blinded by the Light,” which it bought at the Sundance Film Festival, and Nov. 1 for Edward Norton’s drama “Motherless Brooklyn.” Norton plays a private detective trying to solve the murder of his mentor and friend, played by Bruce Willis.

David Lynch directed the first movie version of “Dune,” which was released in 1984 and starred Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides. It was a commercial failure with a $30 million gross on a $40 million budget.

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HOLY SHIT
Variety wrote:‘Dune’ Series Ordered at WarnerMedia Streaming Service, Denis Villeneuve to Direct

WarnerMedia’s streaming service has given a straight-to-series order to the sci-fi project “Dune: The Sisterhood.”

The series hails from Legendary Television, with Legendary also producing the upcoming “Dune” film reboot from director Denis Villeneuve. Warner Bros. is distributing the film.

Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s epic “Dune” novel series, “Dune: The Sisterhood” is told through the eyes of a mysterious order of women known as the Bene Gesserit. Given extraordinary abilities by their mastery of the body and the mind, the Bene Gesserit expertly weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium, pursuing plans of their own that will ultimately lead them to the enigmatic planet Arrakis, known to its inhabitants as Dune.

Villeneuve will direct the pilot with Jon Spaihts set to write. Spaihts and Villeneuve also co-wrote the screenplay for the film along with Eric Roth. Villeneuve and Spaihts will executive produce with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert for the Frank Herbert estate. Kevin J. Anderson will co-produce.

“The Bene Gesserit have always been fascinating to me,” Villeneuve said. “Focusing a series around that powerful order of women seemed not only relevant and inspiring but a dynamic setting for the television series.”

This is not the first time “Dune” has been adapted for television. There was previously a three-part Syfy miniseries that aired in 2000, followed by the 2003 followup “Children of Dune.” The “Dune” film reboot is slated to hit theaters on Nov. 20, 2020. Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, and Dave Bautista are among those attached to star. The book had previously been adapted into a 1984 film written and directed by David Lynch.

Herbert published “Dune” in 1965, with the novel going on to be recognized as one of the most important sci-fi novels of all time. Herbert ultimately wrote five sequels, while his son Brian J. Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson went on to write multiple new entries in the series.

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That could be super cool. I hope they have the budget to make it happen though. A sci-fi series with costumes, sets, and CGI on a TV streaming service seems like a stretch. I never watched the new Star Trek on CBS's streaming service, but it seems like hardly anybody else did either and it didn't fare so well. I hope the producers have reasonable expectations for this. Yeah, Dune is huge for sci-fi fans, but it doesn't have broad appeal to the general public. It seems like they already made this mistake with high expectations for BR: 2049 only to be let down by the box office, then they blamed the movie for underperforming. Oh, it's too long and too slow... even Ridley Scott bashed it. Fuck all that, that movie is brilliant, they just didn't understand it was never going to be the next Star Wars.

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VF wrote:Behold Dune: An Exclusive Look at Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, and More
Feuding royals. A deadly planet. Before Star Wars or Game of Thrones, there was Frank Herbert’s legendary sci-fi novel. Part two of V.F.’s report on Denis Villeneuve’s new movie.

Timothée Chalamet remembers the darkness. It was the summer of 2019, and the cast and crew of Dune had ventured deep into the sandstone and granite canyons of southern Jordan, leaving in the middle of the night so they could catch the dawn on camera. The light spilling over the chasms gave the landscape an otherworldly feel. It was what they had come for.

“It was really surreal,” says Chalamet. “There are these Goliath landscapes, which you may imagine existing on planets in our universe, but not on Earth.”

They weren’t on Earth anymore, anyway. They were on a deadly, dust-dry battleground planet called Arrakis. In Frank Herbert’s epic 1965 sci-fi novel, Arrakis is the only known location of the galaxy’s most vital resource, the mind-altering, time-and-space-warping “spice.” In the new film adaptation, directed by Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, Chalamet stars as the young royal Paul Atreides, the proverbial stranger in a very strange land, who’s fighting to protect this hostile new home even as it threatens to destroy him. Humans are the aliens on Arrakis. The dominant species on that world are immense, voracious sandworms that burrow through the barren drifts like subterranean dragons.

For the infinite seas of sand that give the story its title, the production moved to remote regions outside Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where the temperatures rivaled the fiction in Herbert’s story. “I remember going out of my room at 2 a.m., and it being probably 100 degrees,” says Chalamet. During the shoot, he and the other actors were costumed in what the world of Dune calls “stillsuits”—thick, rubbery armor that preserves the body’s moisture, even gathering tiny bits from the breath exhaled through the nose. In the story, the suits are life-giving. In real life, they were agony. “The shooting temperature was sometimes 120 degrees,” says Chalamet. “They put a cap on it out there, if it gets too hot. I forget what the exact number is, but you can’t keep working.” The circumstances fed the story they were there to tell: “In a really grounded way, it was helpful to be in the stillsuits and to be at that level of exhaustion.”

It wouldn’t be Dune if it were easy. Herbert’s novel became a sci-fi touchstone in the 1960s, heralded for its world-building and ecological subtext, as well as its intricate (some say impenetrable) plot focusing on two families struggling for supremacy over Arrakis. The book created ripples that many see in everything from Star Wars to Alien to Game of Thrones. Still, for decades, the novel itself has defied adaptation. In the ’70s, the wild man experimental filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky mounted a quest to film it, but Hollywood considered the project too risky. David Lynch brought Dune to the big screen in a 1984 feature, but it was derided as an incomprehensible mess and a blight on his filmography. In 2000, a Dune miniseries on what’s now the SyFy channel became a hit for the cable network, but it is now only dimly remembered.

Villeneuve intends to create a Dune that has so far only existed in the imagination of readers. The key, he says, was to break the sprawling narrative in half. When Dune hits theaters on December 18, it will only be half the novel, with Warner Bros. agreeing to tell the story in two films, similar to the studio’s approach with Stephen King’s It and It Chapter Two. “I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie,” says Villeneuve. “The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details.”

For Villeneuve, this 55-year-old story about a planet being mined to death was not merely a space adventure, but a prophecy. “No matter what you believe, Earth is changing, and we will have to adapt,” he says. “That’s why I think that Dune, this book, was written in the 20th century. It was a distant portrait of the reality of the oil and the capitalism and the exploitation—the overexploitation—of Earth. Today, things are just worse. It’s a coming-of-age story, but also a call for action for the youth.”

Chalamet’s character, Paul, thinks he’s just a boy struggling to find a place in the world, but he actually possesses the ability to change it. He has a supernatural gift to harness and unleash energy, lead others, and meld with the heart of his new home world. Paul comes from a powerful galactic family with a name that sounds like a constellation—the House Atreides. His father and mother, Duke Leto (played by Oscar Isaac) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), take their son from their lush, Scandinavian-like home world to preside over spice extraction on Arrakis. What follows is a clash with the criminal, politically connected House Harkonnen, led by the monstrous Baron Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgård), a mammoth with merciless appetites. The baron, created with full-body prosthetics, is like a rhino in human form. This version of the character is less of a madman and more of a predator. “As much as I deeply love the book, I felt that the baron was flirting very often with caricature,” says Villeneuve. “And I tried to bring him a bit more dimension. That’s why I brought in Stellan. Stellan has something in the eyes. You feel that there’s someone thinking, thinking, thinking—that has tension and is calculating inside, deep in the eyes. I can testify, it can be quite frightening.”

The director has also expanded the role of Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica. She’s a member of the Bene Gesserit, a sect of women who can read minds, control people with their voice (again, a precursor to the Jedi mind trick), and manipulate the balance of power in the universe. In the script, which Villeneuve wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, she is even more fearsome than before. The studio’s plot synopsis describes her as a “warrior priestess.” As Villeneuve jokes, “It’s better than ‘space nun.’ ”

Lady Jessica’s duty is to deliver a savior to the universe—and now she has a greater role in defending and training Paul too. “She’s a mother, she’s a concubine, she’s a soldier,” says Ferguson. “Denis was very respectful of Frank’s work in the book, [but] the quality of the arcs for much of the women have been brought up to a new level. There were some shifts he did, and they are beautifully portrayed now.”

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 Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Rogue One), a black woman. “What Denis had stated to me was there was a lack of female characters in his cast, and he had always been very feminist, pro-women, and wanted to write the role for a woman,” Duncan-Brewster says. “This human being manages to basically keep the peace amongst many people. Women are very good at that, so why can’t Kynes be a woman? Why shouldn’t Kynes be a woman?”

As fans will know, there’s a vast menagerie of other characters populating Dune. There are humans called “mentats,” augmented with computerlike minds. Paul is mentored by two bravado warriors Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck, played by Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin. Dave Bautista plays a sinister Harkonnen enforcer Glossu Rabban, and Charlotte Rampling has a key role as the Bene Gesserit reverend mother. The list goes on. In the seemingly unlivable wilds of Arrakis, Javier Bardem leads the Fremen tribe as Stilgar, and Zendaya costars as a mystery woman named Chani, who haunts Paul in his dreams as a vision with glowing blue eyes.

The breadth of Dune is what has made it so confounding for others to adapt. “It’s a book that tackles politics, religion, ecology, spirituality—and with a lot of characters,” says Villeneuve. “I think that’s why it’s so difficult. Honestly, it’s by far the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life.” After finishing this first movie, he’ll just have to do it all over again.
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SO EXCITED
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trailer:
[youtube][/youtube]

still no glimpse of the navigators. already can hear some lines put very straight-forwardly that weren't in the book, but if it helps drive a narrative and the rest is intact, fine. it looks great, as we already knew. i'm cautiously optimistic.

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Looks very blah to me, especially compared to Lynch's version. I may be biased though. Very bland and visually uninspired. This trailer makes me less interested in seeing the film, though I'm sure I will eventually. I won't hold the audio rape of Pink Floyd against the film itself.
Just cut them up like regular chickens

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_Marcus_ wrote:I thought it looked cool enough, and completely visually inspired by Lynch's film.
I'm no Dune expert, but throughout the trailer I was like, "That was in Lynch's version."
This is a snakeskin jacket. And for me it's a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom.

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Variety wrote:‘Dune’ Director Denis Villeneuve Blasts HBO Max Deal (EXCLUSIVE)

I learned in the news that Warner Bros. has decided to release “Dune” on HBO Max at the same time as our theatrical release, using prominent images from our movie to promote their streaming service. With this decision AT&T has hijacked one of the most respectable and important studios in film history. There is absolutely no love for cinema, nor for the audience here. It is all about the survival of a telecom mammoth, one that is currently bearing an astronomical debt of more than $150 billion. Therefore, even though “Dune” is about cinema and audiences, AT&T is about its own survival on Wall Street. With HBO Max’s launch a failure thus far, AT&T decided to sacrifice Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 slate in a desperate attempt to grab the audience’s attention.

Warner Bros.’ sudden reversal from being a legacy home for filmmakers to the new era of complete disregard draws a clear line for me. Filmmaking is a collaboration, reliant on the mutual trust of team work and Warner Bros. has declared they are no longer on the same team.

Streaming services are a positive and powerful addition to the movie and TV ecosystems. But I want the audience to understand that streaming alone can’t sustain the film industry as we knew it before COVID. Streaming can produce great content, but not movies of “Dune’s” scope and scale. Warner Bros.’ decision means “Dune” won’t have the chance to perform financially in order to be viable and piracy will ultimately triumph. Warner Bros. might just have killed the “Dune” franchise. This one is for the fans. AT&T’s John Stankey said that the streaming horse left the barn. In truth, the horse left the barn for the slaughterhouse.

Public safety comes first. Nobody argues with that. Which is why when it became apparent the winter would bring a second wave of the pandemic, I understood and supported the decision to delay “Dune’s” opening by almost a year. The plan was that “Dune” would open in theaters in October 2021, when vaccinations will be advanced and, hopefully, the virus behind us. Science tells us that everything should be back to a new normal next fall.

“Dune” is by far the best movie I’ve ever made. My team and I devoted more than three years of our lives to make it a unique big screen experience. Our movie’s image and sound were meticulously designed to be seen in theaters.

I’m speaking on my own behalf, though I stand in solidarity with the sixteen other filmmakers who now face the same fate. Please know I am with you and that together we are strong. The artists are the ones who create movies and series.

I strongly believe the future of cinema will be on the big screen, no matter what any Wall Street dilettante says. Since the dawn of time, humans have deeply needed communal storytelling experiences. Cinema on the big screen is more than a business, it is an art form that brings people together, celebrating humanity, enhancing our empathy for one another — it’s one of the very last artistic, in-person collective experiences we share as human beings.

Once the pandemic is over, theaters will be filled again with film lovers.

That is my strong belief. Not because the movie industry needs it, but because we humans need cinema, as a collective experience.

So, just as I have both a fiduciary and creative responsibility to fulfill as the filmmaker, I call on AT&T to act swiftly with the same responsibility, respect and regard to protect this vital cultural medium. Economic impact to stakeholders is only one aspect of corporate social responsibility. Finding ways to enhance culture is another. The moviegoing experience is like no other. In those darkened theaters films capture our history, educate us, fuel our imagination and lift and inspire our collective spirit. It is our legacy.

Long live theatrical cinema!

— Denis Villeneuve
yikes. the one thing that makes sense to me is that the box office won't be there with this model, and if that does indeed threaten the franchise, i will be super pissed. i hope the company is prepared to absorb the losses associated with this model and still move forward.

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It's Dune, it was never going to be a huge box office blockbuster and anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. Even if everything was normal I give only 40/60 the second film would even get made.
Just cut them up like regular chickens

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Corporate social responsibility to enhance culture! :roflmao:

He's correct about the threat posed by streaming networks. Netflix may fund the odd Scorsese or Fincher picture to create a sheen of respectability, but I've seen no real commitment to supporting auteur talent downstream and, as Owen Gleiberman was saying in Variety the other day, the vast majority of product speaks a different story, being unrepentantly lowest common denominator (straight-to-video action movies with Marvel stars and half-assed rom-coms that would make the Hallmark channel blush). To think that Netflix and Amazon may soon hold a duopoly on the production and distribution of 'cinematic' content is genuinely frightening. With that in mind though, if HBOMax/Warner need to sacrifice a few blockbusters (and Dennis' backend...) to build a viable competitor so be it. He's certainly not the only director to have missed out on a theatrical release this year... Suck it the fuck up.

He and Nolan are also correct that the streaming model can't support Dune or Marvel-sized budgets long or even medium term, but TBH this may be the silver lining in the whole thing. These giant tentpoles that eat up a studio's resources, regurgitating the same tired IP over and over again, can't die soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

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the fine print on HBO Max is this:
Each movie will be available on HBO Max for 31 days from its theatrical release.
so... what's that about? people will go to a theater after a month? or more likely to preserve the home disc/rental market?

if amazon keeps making quality things (eg, suspiria), i'll go see them in the theater. i as a movie goer have no studio loyalty or whatever. i do keep an eye on certain studios due to consistent quality, but beyond that, i couldn't care less who made it/put it out.