This came up during the busy SDCC period so it’s not a surprise it didn’t get a ton of attention. With progress being made in moving forward with the Dune film with Denis Villeneuve working on it, a new wrinkle has appeared regarding it. The original book was written by Frank Herbert and he later on collaborated with his son Brian Herbert on many books before passing on, leaving it to his son and estate to continue things. Brian Herbert tweeted out as you can see below that he’s gotten the fourth draft for the film from Legendary Pictures and it has the intriguing idea in it that the film, now presumably the first film, will cover just the first half of the book. It’ll be interesting to see what’s considered the middle point here and whether it can work as a two-part film that’s giving it enough room to breathe and explore the characters but still providing enough action to draw people in – with a budget that makes it all worthwhile.
The first book has sold some twelve million copies in the 50+ years since its debut and it’s one that has been largely considered unfilmable because so much of it revolves on internal dialogue, politics, intrigue and other small elements. It is, in my thinking, the kind of ideal show for a premium cable network as it really does require the length of time to tell the tale and dig into the expansive cast. I actually began re-reading the books once again this year, something I seem to do every seven years or so, and am in the midst of Children of Dune so that I can get to my favorite of the core four with God Emperor of Dune. I can see how these can be filmed but it requires a kind of reinvention on the previous views of how to do it, moving away from some of the 60′s inspired visuals that populated Jodorowsky and Lynch’s attempts at the project for something a little more, weirdly to say, traditional but with the grand scope.
Plot concept: Set in the distant future, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides whose family accepts control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, control of Arrakis is highly contested among the noble families. After Paul and his family are betrayed, the story explores themes of politics, religion, and man’s relationship to nature as Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s control of Arrakis.
I have just received Draft #4 of the DUNE screenplay from Legendary Pictures. This is for the first movie, covering approximately half of the novel DUNE. I'm very excited and pleased about this, and I'm beginning to burn the midnight oil. pic.twitter.com/nIfgb2zJ2J
— Brian Herbert (@DuneAuthor) July 23, 2018
