Denis Villeneuve Doesn’t Think ‘Dune’ Would Have Been Made Without Timothée Chalamet

Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is returning to the world of big-budget science fiction after the fantastic “Blade Runner: 2049,” a follow-up to the original directed by Ridley Scott. His latest film “Dune,” is a remake of the classic Frank Herbert sci-fi fantasy epic that partially helped inspire many elements of George Lucas‘ original “Star Wars” trilogy. 

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Villeneuve almost had a big issue during the casting process. While speaking with Total Film (via Games Radar), the director revealed that if he could not convince Timothée Chalamet to play, Paul Atreides “Dune” likely would not have been made. 

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“We said, ‘It’s Timothée [Chalamet].’ We didn’t have a Plan B. Honestly, if he had said no, I don’t know what I would have done. There would be no Dune, maybe,” Denis Villeneuve told Total Film Magazine in their latest issue about the importance of Chalament’s casting. 

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The original 1984 feature film adaptation from director David Lynch had some stunning production design, thanks to production artist H.R. Giger (“Alien“), but sadly was a huge box office flop. Hopefully, “Dune” has a better reception from a global audience as the film’s cast should attract people that might not have showed-up otherwise.

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Legendary has franchise plans for “Dune” with “Dune: Part Two” based on the second half of the first novel already being written by screenwriter Jon Sphaits (“Dune,” “Prometheus“) and an HBO Max series in development stages called “Dune: The Sisterhood.” They have plenty of source material to work with as Frank Herbert wrote six novels; Brian Herbert (Frank Herbert’s son) and Kevin J. Anderson have added multiple installments since the original author’s death. 

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Here is the film’s official synopsis from Legendary and Warner Bros.: 

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“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.”

“Dune” will officially hit theaters and HBO Max on October 22. The new trailer is confirmed to arrive tomorrow (see below).