In a recent interview with Collider, “Dune” cast member Stellan Skarsgard promised fans that full creative control of “Dune” was in Villeneuve’s hands. The actor, who is playing the movie’s villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, says Warner Bros. has not been getting in the way of Villeneuve’s vision, which should come as a relief to anyone worried a studio might be watching Villeneuve more closely after the “2049” flop.
“I’ve always wanted to work with him partly because he’s such a wonderful man, but also because he’s a brilliant director,” Skarsgard told Collider. “It’s fun when you get one of those big sci-fi movies and you know it’s going to be directed by a true filmmaker. It’s not going to be directed by the studio. It seemed like they were giving him pretty free hands. And you have to, because his personal stamp on the film is paramount for the success of it.”
Villeneuve appeared somewhat defeated after the “2049” release, telling
The Telegraph, “Let’s just say it would not be a good idea for me to make a movie like that twice. When you’re working on a film you’re in a bubble, and it was only when I came out that I realized we had made a monster. I won’t do it again.”
Moviegoers wondered if Villeneuve’s comment meant he wouldn’t make another big-budget tentpole with an artistic vision, but it sounds like from Skarsgard that’s exactly what “Dune” is going to be next year.