Dune - new adaptation by Paramount

Nektonic

Nektonic

Veteran
http://www.variety.com/VR1117982560.html

Looks like we're getting another version of DUNE. Peter Berg is directing. As long as the script is faithful, and the studio allows it to be a long movie (like LOTR Trilogy), then I think this could be pulled off. It has to be long though (like 2.5 to 3 hours minimum). There are just too many things going on to squeeze it down to a 2-hour or less running time. I liked David Lynch's version, even though it felt rushed in some sequences. The Sci-fi Channel did a pretty good miniseries back in 2000. Part of the reason it worked so well for me was that it was paced much better than Lynch's version. I guess Dune is one of those stories that needs "room to breath."

Although I am excited to hear of a new Dune, I have to admit I am sort of bummed that Ridley Scott didn't get in on this one. In interviews, he always says that he wants to return to the science fiction genre someday. I think he would be perfect for Dune. He was actually going to do Dune back in the early 80's as his follow-up to Alien. I think now, with today's FX capabilities, he could do an amazing Dune.

If not Ridley, then what about Tarsem? He did The Cell, and the upcoming The Fall. After seeing the trailer for The Fall a few weeks ago, I thought -- this guy should do Dune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaoxB-eLHQ8
 
I agree. Just another money maker.

I was a fan of the dune mini series. Went out and bought it. I think it would be too much for a single feature length film.
 
I love Lynch but I didn't like Dune. I do know that adapting a David Lynch film is not for everyone...who knows...maybe if he "directs without rhythm he won't atrack the worm". :D
 
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Fingers crossed for a great Dune film.
Thanks for posting a link to the Fall trailer. It wasn't on my radar. It is now...
 
By the time someone really nails it we'll all be completely sick of it. I enjoyed the SciFi channel's version and bought it as well.
 
David Jimerson said:
I think it's too soon.
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Yeah, it doesn't feel like its been that long since the miniseries in 2000. It will probably not come out until late 2009 or into 2010. They can't possibly complete Dune in a year or less and expect it to be a good adaptation.

Jon Starr said:
I agree. Just another money maker.

I was a fan of the dune mini series. Went out and bought it. I think it would be too much for a single feature length film.
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I guess you could argue that all movies from Hollywood are just another money maker in the eyes of some producers and studio execs. With Dune though, being the classic that it is, they really need to take a great deal of care with this adaptation. I'll be pissed too if it has a bunch of cheesy cliched action movie hijinks in it. Or if they rush through the story to get to the spectacle. There is real potential for an amazing epic film, if taken seriously, like LOTR trilogy was. Plus the sequel novels, which only one was filmed as the Children of Dune miniseries.

I agree with you on it being too much for one movie. I mean, the Hobbit, if it is ever made, is being planned as 2 films. This could work for Dune, but I doubt they'll do it. My worry is that they'll drastically oversimplify the whole thing to fit the standard running time. If I were in the director's chair on this, I wouldn't take the job without a guarantee of at least a 3 - 3.5 hour run time, and an extended cut option for DVD. I guess I am excited and worried at the same time over this.

If Dune turns out well, and with the new Star Trek, and James Cameron's AVATAR coming in 2009, I wonder if big budget sci-fi flicks will be rejuvinated with the studios. It seems that lately, there haven't been as many big budget or theatrically released sci-fi films as there were in the 80's and 90's. Besides Sunshine, the best sci-fi stuff I've watched lately besides old movies and TV series has been the new Battlestar Galactica series. Some of the stuff that's come to theaters recently, Ultraviolet, Transformers, Alien vs. Predator Requiem, The Invasion, just didn't work for me. Some of those were entertaining, but to me they wasted their potential. Then again, there's been some really good stuff too; I Am Legend, A Scanner Darkly, Children of Men, The Fountain, Sunshine. So I guess I can't complain too much either.
 
This might be pretty good. Berg is Hella talent-- on the rise. Rocket strapped to his wrist and he's headed towards the stars.

The movie may not cover the whole novel though--could leave it open for a part II.
 
There has to be something like 12 books in that series (at least, that I know of - 5 that Frank wrote, the 4 last ones written by his son and Anderson, and a couple of other spin offs from his notes - I think I've got them all...).

Personally, the Dune series has been my all-time favorite, by my all-time favorite author, but neither Lynch's version or the SciFi mini-series worked very well for me. The scale/universe that the stories were built in are very large and detailed. Half of what's important in the books are what the characters are thinking - not what they're saying or doing - and most of those parts are integral to the story itself. Hard to portray that (Lynch tried, and I have to say, I've never really seen anyone else portray thoughts being "thought" in scenes that worked either - the best I've seen is second or third-person narration).

I seem to remember reading an interview with Lynch before the movie actually came out, where he mentioned the difficulty he had grappling with the "thoughts in the air" as well as the "Voice" thing. In the interview, he was explaining that it's never really been successfully done before, and that they were the hardest parts he'd ever had to direct. I like Lynchs version better than the SciFi version - which seemed to be all acted on a stage and filmed (watch it again - the main actors for the most part did not move - they stand there and orate, as if on a theater stage doing opera).

I remember when I saw it at the theater, there were handouts provided on the language, characters, idioms, etc. passed out to the movie-goers to read before the movie started, which was another thing I'd never seen done or heard of before. Actually, I'm not sure I've heard of it being done since.

I'd really like someone to do "The Dosadi Experiment", which is another story based on finite resources, also written by Frank Herbert.
 
The odd thing about Lynch's Dune, IMO, is that it's somehow simultaneously a pretty faithful adaptation of the novel and yet wildly different. :) So much of the dialogue is word-for-word, thought-for-thought, right out of the book; and yet so much of the rest seems to have been pulled out of thin air (with the "weirding modules" being only the most obvious). I actually re-watched that on widescreen VHS a couple of months ago, and really came away from it with a better impression than I ever had previously. If only somebody could properly finish the "TV" cut of the film...

I watched Sci-Fi's take when it was on, but honestly barely remember it.

As for a new movie... I dunno. So few "new" versions of old movies/shows have been any good, I find it hard to believe that something as tricky to get right as Dune is going to be any better. Still, if somebody could pull it off, it would be fun to see. :)

(And, just to be pedantic, I think there are 6 Frank Herbert novels - Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapter House: Dune. After reading all of those in order last year, I was sorely tempted to check out some of the others, but I have sworn never to purchase another novel that will, in any way, support Kevin J. Anderson. ;) )
 
Captain Pierce: That was it - forgot about Chapterhouse - I've re-read Heretic's so many times, that Chapterhouse slipped my mind. For some reason, I think of Heretic's as the ending and not Chapterhouse. There's also a "Pictures of Dune" or something like that - drawings based off of his notes (larger sized book), and I think another "notes book" too (don't remember).

The others are actually pretty decent, albeit not quite to the level that Frank Herbert would have done - but they do read as if he tried to do his father justice in writing them, and they do explain a few motives, technologies and all (like where the guilds came from, etc.,) - as prequells go, they were a good effort.
 
"I started selling out on Dune. Looking back, it's no one's fault but my own. I probably shouldn't have done that picture, but I saw tons and tons of possibilities for things I loved, and this was the structure to do them in. There was so much room to create a world. But I got strong indications from Raffaella and Dino De Laurentiis of what kind of film they expected, and I knew I didn't have final cut. — David Lynch, on Dune[18]
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I read Dune as a kid, and just finished re-reading the entire series (even the crappy last few books).

I have all the Dune films in my collection.

Bring it on!
 
Why is Hollywood is terrified to make an original film anymore? Why do they keep re-making everything from classic film and TV to lame crap?

The only way they will listen is if we, as filmgoers, collectively boycott pointless exercises like this.

I am in the film business and I think almost all of the creativity has been sucked out of it to support the dumbing down of America.

Dan
 
puredrifting said:
Why is Hollywood is terrified to make an original film anymore? Why do they keep re-making everything from classic film and TV to lame crap?

The only way they will listen is if we, as filmgoers, collectively boycott pointless exercises like this.

I am in the film business and I think almost all of the creativity has been sucked out of it to support the dumbing down of America.

Dan
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That's a good point. Most of the new films are like you said re-make, re-re-make or #2,3,4,5,6 and original film are mostly independants. Hollywood seem more interested in the action movies with big part of special effects rather than real story teller.

It's always nice to see what they can do now with the computer age today, but the best story film now are often from abroad.
 
I don't think this is a bad thing. They can spend money on big budget adventures and indies can make the story films out of their own pocket and the big companies will distribute. It's better for the film makers vision in this way. IMO. It does hurt story telling in the sense that these movies will not have even a 30 million budget. But more like a 2-3 million budget like "once" etc
But the studios hands arn't in the production telling these people what a "good" story is. Which I prefer.
 
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