Few modern directors have a track record of high quality quite like Denis Villeneuve. Following his work on films like 2013's Prisoners, 2015's Sicario, last year's Arrival, and this year's release of Blade Runner 2049, he has proven that he can do great work in almost any universe. The next job on his plate is his remake of Dune, and according to Villeneuve, working in that world is notably different from Blade Runner because he has more of an opportunity to make it his own. Denis Villeneuve recently addressed the differences and said:
When I did Prisoners and Blade Runner, I signed on a story. I was not allowed to bring in pink elephants, you know? Surely, they are my movies; I consider Blade Runner to be as close to me as Incendies. But for Dune, I am working on the script now. Maybe in six months, we'll see: "oh, I'm unemployed!" Maybe they won't like what I am doing.
Blade Runner 2049 is a sequel, which means Denis Villeneuve had to work within the confines of the world created by Ridley Scott and create something that felt respectful of that vision. Per his comments to Vanity Fair about his work on Dune, that's not necessarily the case. David Lynch's original Dune has developed a rabid cult following in the years since its 1984 release, but Villeneuve isn't using that film as a guide for the creation of his take on Dune. He has considerably more creative freedom than he did on his Blade Runner sequel, which means he feels a stronger sense of ownership over the script.
If that's the case, then it likely means that Denis Villeneuve is going back to the drawing board and recreating many of Dune's already-iconic visual elements.
Originating with the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, Dune is widely regarded as one of the most successful pieces of science-fiction literature of all time. Taking place in the distant future on a planet called Arrakis, the story centers on the socio-political battle between warring noble houses in a struggle for power. It's a sprawling narrative landscape with quite a bit of potential for innovation, and considering the work has already done in this genre (did you see Blade Runner 2049 in 3D?) there's a lot to get excited about.
With even more creative freedom to make Dune his own beast, only time will tell what Denis Villeneuve will come up with. Until we learn more about the highly- anticipated sci-fi project, you can take a look at our 2017 movie premiere guide and our 2018 movie premiere guide to see what else the next year has in store on the big screen!
