Now that Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” has hit (some) theaters and seemingly underwhelmed some audiences and critics, the next big anticipated sci-fi epic of the year is easily Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune.” Based on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novels of the same name, David Lynch made a “Dune” movie in 1984, but it’s one of his famous flops, and suffice to say it didn’t come near the franchise potential Hollywood always hoped it would have. That could easily change with Villeneuve’s version which practically features every living star in Hollywood right now.
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The cast is the draw no matter what your interest are in Herbert’s novels. The film is stacked stars Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (“Call Me by Your Name,” “Little Women”), Rebecca Ferguson (“Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”), Oscar Isaac (the “Star Wars” franchise) Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (“Milk,” “Avengers: Infinity War”), Stellan Skarsgård (HBO’s “Chernobyl,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), Dave Bautista (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Avengers: Endgame”), Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Fences,” “Lady Bird”), Zendaya (“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” HBO’s “Euphoria”), Chang Chen (“Mr. Long,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), David Dastmalchian (“Blade Runner 2049,” “The Dark Knight”), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Netflix’s “Sex Education”), with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years,” “Assassin’s Creed”), with Jason Momoa (“Aquaman,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Skyfall”). That’s obviously more than enough to entice audiences.
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What’s “Dune” about? Well, that’s the thing, the novels have always been kind of convoluted, seemingly too big for a movie to contain—this certainly hurt Lynch’s version—but essentially. it’s space opera about family dynasty’s the struggle over maintaining power and a precious spice the entire galaxy covets. Here’s the official synopsis:
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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.
Some of the top-shelf talent behind the camera on the film include Oscar-nominated director of photography Greig Fraser (“Lion,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) and multiple Oscar-nominated composer Hans Zimmer (“Blade Runner 2049,” “Inception,” “Gladiator,” “The Lion King”) Villeneuve directed “Dune” from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth based on the novel of the same name written by Frank Herbert.
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Villeneuve once envisioned “Dune” as a two-part film. That didn’t happen, but he’s already lining up an offshoot series, and if the film is a hit, surely sequels are to come. Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present “Dun” and the film is currently slated to be released in theaters on December 18, 2020. Watch the first trailer below.
