Dune is an upcoming film directed by Denis Villeneuve adapting the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. He previously directed Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Arrival (2016) adapting the short story by Ted Chiang, and Sicario (2015). It features a script by Villeneuve, Eric Roth, and Jon Spaihts. Dune has Brian Herbert as executive producer, the son of Frank Herbert, and co-writer with Kevin J. Anderson with two trilogies, the Prelude to Dune and Legends of Dune. The scope of Dune is on an universe scale; it deals with ecology and life cycles on Arrakis, factions, rivals, and alliances across the galaxy, languages, traditions, and technology, and finally the coming of an universal messiah. This will ensure that the complexity of the novel and also that Game of Thrones proved audiences can be receptive to complex, royal politics.
The film features an impressive cast led by Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides. His parents will be played by Oscar Isaac, Duke Leto Artreides, and Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica. Duke Leto is the leader of House Artreides. Isaac was in the sci fi film, Ex Machina (2014). Lady Jessica is the concubine of Duke Leto and member of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. Ferguson is in Men in Black: International and the sci fi movie Life (2017). The allies of Paul Atreides include Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck is played by Josh Brolin. Duncan Idaho is the Swordmaster of the Ginaz who almost can’t be defeated in battle. Gurney Halleck is another House Artreides advisor and trains Paul in weapons. Of course Momoa has a Game of Thrones connection with his portrayal of Khal Dogo. Brolin is Thanos in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame and worked with Villeneuve in Sicario (2015).
The film features an impressive cast led by Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides. His parents will be played by Oscar Isaac, Duke Leto Artreides, and Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica. Duke Leto is the leader of House Artreides. Isaac was in the sci fi film, Ex Machina (2014). Lady Jessica is the concubine of Duke Leto and member of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. Ferguson is in Men in Black: International and the sci fi movie Life (2017). The allies of Paul Atreides include Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck is played by Josh Brolin. Duncan Idaho is the Swordmaster of the Ginaz who almost can’t be defeated in battle. Gurney Halleck is another House Artreides advisor and trains Paul in weapons. Of course Momoa has a Game of Thrones connection with his portrayal of Khal Dogo. Brolin is Thanos in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame and worked with Villeneuve in Sicario (2015).
Paul Atreides is tested by the Reverend Mother Mohiam portrayed by Charlotte Rampling. She leads the Bene Gesserit which is a secret order of women who can control people through the Voice, not the game show, but a careful control of tones in a command. Rampling was also in Never Let Me Go (2010) with Chalamet, she was in the sci-fi movie Babylon A.D. (2008), and I remember her from the film Orca (1977). Paul is opposed by Stellan Skarsgard who plays Baron Harkonnen, a large, sinister man, who needs anti-gravity suspensors to move and carry his weight. Skarsgard played Erik Selvig in the Thor and Avengers movies, Bootstrap Bill in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, I recognize him as the brutal Cerdic in King Arthur (2004).
The leader of the Harkonnen forces is the ruthless Beast Rabban embodied in the form of Dave Bautista. Denis Villeneuve cast Bautista as the replicant farmer Sapper Morton in Blade Runner 2049, he played Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and was Hinx in the James Bond film Spectre (2015). The Mentat Pieter De Vries is portrayed by David Dastmalchian. Mentats are advisors like Game of Thrones’ Maesters and their minds are like computers since that technology was banned in the Butlerian Jihad. Dastmalchian was in Blade Runner 2049 and the Ant-Man films. The native leader of the Fremen is named Stilgar to be played by Javier Bardem. He was Captain Salazar in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), Bardem was the mastermind Silva facing James Bond in Skyfall (2012), and played an assassin in No Country for Old Men (2007). This is a first rate cast as it stands now. There are still rest of the Fremen on the Dune planet and the ruling faction of the Emperor Shaddam IV.
The leader of the Harkonnen forces is the ruthless Beast Rabban embodied in the form of Dave Bautista. Denis Villeneuve cast Bautista as the replicant farmer Sapper Morton in Blade Runner 2049, he played Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and was Hinx in the James Bond film Spectre (2015). The Mentat Pieter De Vries is portrayed by David Dastmalchian. Mentats are advisors like Game of Thrones’ Maesters and their minds are like computers since that technology was banned in the Butlerian Jihad. Dastmalchian was in Blade Runner 2049 and the Ant-Man films. The native leader of the Fremen is named Stilgar to be played by Javier Bardem. He was Captain Salazar in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), Bardem was the mastermind Silva facing James Bond in Skyfall (2012), and played an assassin in No Country for Old Men (2007). This is a first rate cast as it stands now. There are still rest of the Fremen on the Dune planet and the ruling faction of the Emperor Shaddam IV.
There is plans to have two films adapting the first book. This makes sense there will be time to expand on all of the political factions, setting, and characters. It looks like there is a strong point from the beginning with House Artreides moving to Arrakis, Dune, and Paul surviving an attack by House Harkonnen to Paul taking the Fremen’s jihad to the universe. I think what is important is the generations long plan to form the Kwisatz Haderach, basically a universal messiah. Since there are plans to divide the book into two films, I believe the first movie will follow Paul Artreides to becoming a Fremen, and the last movie will be his revolution that will shake the universe.
In fact, when I first read Game of Thrones I thought, oh, it’s a fantasy Dune with a wall, political factions, a group of native warriors, Dothraki instead of Fremen, dragons instead of sandworms that are the power in the world, and a noble family caught up in the dangerous, wider world. Central to everything is the spice melage, a drug that smells like cinnamon and can extend life, give visions of the future, and makes space travel possible. There is hints of spice smuggling in Star Wars, but never really explained. Spice is the most important commodity in the universe and only found on Arrakis, the desert planet, protected by gigantic sandworms and the native Fremen. Herbert’s world building is unmatched since it is literally a world and a universe.
In fact, when I first read Game of Thrones I thought, oh, it’s a fantasy Dune with a wall, political factions, a group of native warriors, Dothraki instead of Fremen, dragons instead of sandworms that are the power in the world, and a noble family caught up in the dangerous, wider world. Central to everything is the spice melage, a drug that smells like cinnamon and can extend life, give visions of the future, and makes space travel possible. There is hints of spice smuggling in Star Wars, but never really explained. Spice is the most important commodity in the universe and only found on Arrakis, the desert planet, protected by gigantic sandworms and the native Fremen. Herbert’s world building is unmatched since it is literally a world and a universe.
The films of Dune have their own history. One of the most well known stories of unmade movies was the one headed by director Alejandro Jodorowsky. An ambitious film with designs by Chris Foss, H.R. Giger (who later designed the Alien), and Moebius, the comics artist who also worked on Alien (1979), Tron (1982), and The Fifth Element (1997). Also, there was a soundtrack from Pink Floyd. Jodorowsky’s cast was legendary; artist Salvador Dali, actor and director, Orson Welles, and singer Mick Jagger. It would have been an ambitious, brilliant film. The film does veer from Herbert at it’s conclusion. The quest to create this film is in the documentary Jodorwsky’s Dune (2013), recommended.
Then, the rights were bought by Dino De Laurentis, and he brought in David Lynch, who previously directed Eraserhead (1977) and The Elephant Man (1980). He is of course known for creating the series Twin Peaks also with his lead, Kyle Machlachlan, and Mulholland Drive (2001). I finished reading Dune before the film’s opening which was a feat when I was a kid. It was not confusing to me, but Lynch focused on the strange parts of Frank Herbert’s work rather than bringing in the complicated politics. There was a Sy Fy series of movies that covered the first three books, written and directed by John Harrison. It was hampered by a lower budget and seemed to stray from the Kwisatz Haderach part of Paul's destiny.
Then, the rights were bought by Dino De Laurentis, and he brought in David Lynch, who previously directed Eraserhead (1977) and The Elephant Man (1980). He is of course known for creating the series Twin Peaks also with his lead, Kyle Machlachlan, and Mulholland Drive (2001). I finished reading Dune before the film’s opening which was a feat when I was a kid. It was not confusing to me, but Lynch focused on the strange parts of Frank Herbert’s work rather than bringing in the complicated politics. There was a Sy Fy series of movies that covered the first three books, written and directed by John Harrison. It was hampered by a lower budget and seemed to stray from the Kwisatz Haderach part of Paul's destiny.
Let’s look at possible choices for the rest of the cast I think may be made up of actors who worked with Denis Villeneuve in the past. First, I think Paul Artreides’ sister, Alia, could be played by Jadyn Malone from Arrival, she played Hannah at age 6. Next, Thufir Hawat, who is a Mentat and Master of Assassins, another trusted advisor to House Artreides. I could see Victor Garber, who was in Sicario, he was in the television series Alias and Dr. Martin Stein in the Legends of Tomorrow series. So this could also be an actor not in Villeneuve’s films, but someone who can play deadly and intelligent, Brendan Gleeson.
He was in Edge of Tomorrow (2014) as General Brigham, In Bruges (2008) as Ken, mentor to Colin Farrell’s hitman Ray, and `Mad-Eye’ Moody in the Harry Potter films. Let’s move to the rest of the Fremen. Javier Bardem plays Stilgar, the leader of the Fremen, so I think it would be interesting to cast Latino actors as Fremen. Chani, Paul’s Fremen lover and a deadly warrior, I hope will be Ana de Armas who played in Blade Runner 2049. She was in the Eli Roth thriller Knock Knock (2015) and worked with Keanu Reeves again in the crime drama Exposed (2016). Liet Kynes, father of Chani, he might be played by Benecio del Toro, who was Alejandro in Sicario. He was The Collector in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
He was in Edge of Tomorrow (2014) as General Brigham, In Bruges (2008) as Ken, mentor to Colin Farrell’s hitman Ray, and `Mad-Eye’ Moody in the Harry Potter films. Let’s move to the rest of the Fremen. Javier Bardem plays Stilgar, the leader of the Fremen, so I think it would be interesting to cast Latino actors as Fremen. Chani, Paul’s Fremen lover and a deadly warrior, I hope will be Ana de Armas who played in Blade Runner 2049. She was in the Eli Roth thriller Knock Knock (2015) and worked with Keanu Reeves again in the crime drama Exposed (2016). Liet Kynes, father of Chani, he might be played by Benecio del Toro, who was Alejandro in Sicario. He was The Collector in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
There is one important Harkonnen left, Feyd-Rautha, nephew and heir of Baron Harkonnen. I think the rock star casting of Mick Jagger and Sting should also apply here to Jared Leto. The Thirty Seconds to Mars singer and musician was Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049. He was of course The Joker in Suicide Squad (2016). I think he would be perfect to capture the cunning and wildness of Feyd-Rautha. There was talk of Zendaya taking the part of Chani, but I think she should play Princess Irulan. She is trained by the Bene Gesserit. The singer and actress will be in Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th and she was in The Greatest Showman (2017). I would like the Emperor to be played by Forest Whitaker, Colonel Weber, in Sicario. He has the dramatic power to be the Emperor of the Known Universe.
The Emperor has elite troops called Sardukar, strangely they looked like soldiers in black bio-hazard suits in the Lynch film, I would like to see them deadly in the new movie. Also, Paul has his own elite troops, the Fedaykin, his personal guard, but we also never saw their fighting style in the Lynch film. Count Fenreig I would like to see played by Michael Stulbarg, from Arrival, he played Agent Halpern. Stuhlbarg was also in Call Me By Your Name (2017) with Chalamet. Fenreig is a deadly ally and confidant of the Emperor who was former Governor of Arrakis. His wife, Margot, is Bene Gesserit. She is sent by them to seduce Feyd-Rautha. I would actually like to see Emily Blunt, Kate Macer, in Sicario as Margot Fenreig. Blunt of course is a formidable actress in the sci fi movie Edge of Tomorrow (2014). All speculation with casting, but I hope the movie set for release on November 20, 2020 will fulfill the potential of Frank Herbert's book.
The Emperor has elite troops called Sardukar, strangely they looked like soldiers in black bio-hazard suits in the Lynch film, I would like to see them deadly in the new movie. Also, Paul has his own elite troops, the Fedaykin, his personal guard, but we also never saw their fighting style in the Lynch film. Count Fenreig I would like to see played by Michael Stulbarg, from Arrival, he played Agent Halpern. Stuhlbarg was also in Call Me By Your Name (2017) with Chalamet. Fenreig is a deadly ally and confidant of the Emperor who was former Governor of Arrakis. His wife, Margot, is Bene Gesserit. She is sent by them to seduce Feyd-Rautha. I would actually like to see Emily Blunt, Kate Macer, in Sicario as Margot Fenreig. Blunt of course is a formidable actress in the sci fi movie Edge of Tomorrow (2014). All speculation with casting, but I hope the movie set for release on November 20, 2020 will fulfill the potential of Frank Herbert's book.
#Dune, #FrankHerbert, #DenisVilleneuve, #TimotheeChalamet
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