If you're a fan of Frank Herbert's Dune and you really want to see another movie get made, then today's news is what you've been waiting for. Legendary Entertainment and the Herbert estate have reached a deal that will allow the production company and Universal Pictures to move forward on movie and TV projects.
This is huge because Dune has only become more of a cult classic over the last thirty years following the 1984 movie directed by David Lynch. It bombed at the time but you wouldn't know it now based on the frequent calls for another adaptation. SyFy recently brought the first and third of Herbert's novels to the small screen as an event series, but no film project has been in the works for quite some time. The last person to show any kind of interest was Arrival director, Denis Villeneuve. I'll let other speculate on whether he has anything to do with this.
That will now obviously change. We just don't know what it will be. Actually, it's likely to be a combination of things. We could see movies, shows, an animated series, comics...Legendary has their hands in all of it and Dune is rich enough to be built upon. Here's a synopsis for those who may not be as familiar:
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.
For a deeper lesson on Dune and why it's often compared favorably to Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, check out the terrific documentary Jodorowsky's Dune.
