Sci-Fi Dune

[Deck Rickard]

I really hope he pulls this off. I do worry though that concept may not be as cinematic as something like LOTR or Star Wars and unfortunately, this movie needs to make a ton of money to ensure that the entirety of Dune gets adapted. It needs to have mainstream appeal.

 

[OutOfBoose]

I'll be really sad if DV makes only the first half of the book and then they abandon it for BO reasons. And who knows if it will happen at all anyway.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Oh it's happening. He said he would start pre production after he was done with being a Cannes jury member. And the script is nearly finished according to Herbert's son on twitter.

 

[FVD]

Brianna doesn't look like she has any acting skills, but she can sing. But I think a good direct can make her work if necessary.

Finn Wolfhard looks like a good choice looks and age wise. Can he pull off a leader? Open question.

Yeah, as I had mentioned, I haven't seen her in anything else so I'd say a director of Denis' calibre would get a great performance out of an actor, to be expected. Also thought about Hailee Steinfeld who is also 21 just today. She could possibly be a safer option as Chani is apparently said to be tall, so that does suit Hailee quite nicely.

 

[green]

From Brian Herbert...

https://***********/DuneAuthor/status/1017094996858585088

I should have further comments on the DUNE movie production very soon. All indications are good, and Legendary is very active in setting things up. Certain specific announcements [i.e. about actors / actresses + filming locations] have to come from them, so I'll say what I can.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Good to hear it's coming together. I really need a large budget new take on the book.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Denis Villeneuve Eyeing A Return To Budapest For ‘Dune’s Production Start In February https://omegaunderground.com/2018/07/12/denis-villeneuve-eyeing-a-return-to-budapest-for-dunes-production-start-in-february/ …

 

[samsnee]

I feel like this is going to turn into BR 2049 where people think the demand for this is greater than it is based on a small, but passionate, fanbase.

 

[Fallen Angel]

BR fanbase is more niche. Dune can be marketed as a blockbuster like Star Wars event.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

I feel like this is going to turn into BR 2049 where people think the demand for this is greater than it is based on a small, but passionate, fanbase.

This is a likely possibility.
Unless there is an "Avatar effect" where the movie reaches everyone.

 

[samsnee]

I'm trying to think the last time a movie that took place primarily in the desert was a huge hit. I keep going back to John Carter, which was a huge bomb.

I think this is a huge gamble, and DV is a great director but I can't see him directing something wide commercial appeal that would make the money back on a big budget production.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Fury Road wasn't a huge bomb.

I'm not even sure what a desert has to do with anything...

 

[samsnee]

It’s like movies set on Mars. They generally don’t do well.

 

[green]

The first movie wouldn't be primarily in the desert. You have Caladan, Giede Prime and Kaitain. The second movie would be more based on Arrakis I would imagine.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Why exactly Mars? How about Lawrence of Arabia? Or Star Wars?

 

[TheVileOne]

BR fanbase is more niche. Dune can be marketed as a blockbuster like Star Wars event.

I mean you can do that, but that won't necessarily make it into one. I've said it before, but Dune's story is not really what I would call blockbuster fare.

 

[samsnee]

Why exactly Mars? How about Lawrence of Arabia? Or Star Wars?

Not sure. But back in the 2000s you had a few set on Mars and they all bombed. The only one that’s worked recently is The Martian with Matt Damon and Fury Road. But don’t know how comparable they would be to Dune.

Lawrence of Arabia is from a different generation so don’t think you can count it.

Star Wars was set in a galaxy far far away.

Like I said, the most recent comparable movie I can think of is John Carter. This all comes down to budget. If they can keep the budget in the $175 range max, the expectation to be a huge blockbuster is less. I haven’t even seen the original but I do know that similar to this one, they got a critically well regarded director (David Lynch) but that movie was a flop.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Dune isn't set in the Solar System.

I'm still not convinced that desert setting has anything to do with BO numbers.

 

[OfficerK]

I'm trying to think the last time a movie that took place primarily in the desert was a huge hit. I keep going back to John Carter, which was a huge bomb.

I think this is a huge gamble, and DV is a great director but I can't see him directing something wide commercial appeal that would make the money back on a big budget production.

A lot of movies set in deserts do little to develop or have an interest setting beyond being a desert. The thing is they need to give this movie it's own distinct style and character that isn't just another tatooine or mars or whatever. Denis isn't an idiot though, this is something he's wanted to do for some time. Plus if they get Deakins on board it doesn't matter how minimalist the sets/style is you can be it'll at least look good. If there is any real worry to be having it's the cast and whether or not a second movie will end up being possible.

 

[TheVileOne]

Fury Road was set primarily in a desert wasn't it? I mean it wasn't a huge box office smash, but it was fairly well received.

Also, that kind of thinking is what poisons the mind in Hollywood.

Disney executives believed that you can't put Mars or Princess in the title of a movie, so they called the movie John Carter. The title became a major mark against the movie because calling it John Carter was stupid and people didn't understand the title at all.

 

[green]

Is Legendary doing Comic Con?

 

[Fallen Angel]

Think so if Godzilla's going to be there. But I don't think DUNE news is going to be on the agenda.

 

[green]

Thanks Fallen. One can always hope.

 

[James.B]

Timothée Chalamet In Talks To Star In ‘Dune’ For Denis Villenueve And Legendary
https://deadline.com/2018/07/timothee-chalamet-dune-denis-villenueve-legendary-frank-herbert-1202427315/

Timothée Chalamet is in final talks to star in the Denis Villeneuve-directed Dune, the cinematic relaunch of one of the most celebrated science fiction properties of all time for Legendary.
Legendary acquired film and TV rights to the Frank Herbert novels Dune in 2016, with the intention of making multiple films. Villenueve chose that film over numerous offers as his followup to Blade Runner 2049. That included James Bond, this well before Danny Boyle came in with his own take for that movie that was drafted by John Hodge.

Chalamet will play the lead, which in the David Lynch-directed original was Kyle MacLachlan. The young nobleman Paul Atreides is the central figure in the series of sprawling epic novels first published in 1965. It is set in the far future involving worlds beyond Earth, ruled over by competing feudal families who control access to a drug called Melange. Known popularly as “spice,” the drug gives its users heightened consciousness and an extended lifespan at the cost of crippling addiction and fatal withdrawal. Spice, use of which makes interstellar travel possible, is found only on the desert planet of Arrakis — aka “Dune” — and as such is the most valuable commodity in the galaxy. The original was a contentious shoot, with Lynch battling his producers and financiers, but Dune has been tapped successfully for the small screen and the version by Villenueve, after films from Incendies to Sicario, Arrival to Blade Runner 2049, makes for about as anticipated an iconic scifi novel series adaptation as you’ll find in Hollywood, Game of Thrones meets Star Wars.

 

[Fallen Angel]

You like Dune?


Anyway good choice.