One of the most anticipated movies of 2020 now won't be seen until 2021, but that hasn't made fans any less curious about Denis Villeneuve's forthcoming Dune. The Frank Herbert novel is one of the definitive works of literary science fiction that has been considered potentially unfilamable in the past, even though it's been done more than once. However, Frank's son Brian Herbert, who continued the legacy of Dune in print, visited the set of the Dune movie when it was in production and the writer has nothing but praise for the movie that's been created.
Brian Herbert recently spoke with Inverse about the time he spent watching some of Dune being filmed last year and he has nothing but good things to say about the movie. While he doesn't appear to have seen the final product yet, that hasn't stopped him from being convinced already that the new movie will become the "definitive adaptation" of his father's work. According to Brian Herbert...
I was very impressed by the trailer, and I was thrilled to actually be on the movie set in Budapest last year, where my wife and I watched the filming of several scenes. This is a really big movie, a major project that will forever be considered THE definitive film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel. Fans are going to love this movie. Denis Villeneuve is the perfect director to do Dune.
Brian Herbert certainly isn't the first to believe that Denis Villeneuve was the best possible choice to direct an adaptation of Dune. The director has already become the go-to name for creating thought provoking science fiction. Villeneuve received an Oscar nomination for Best Director for his work on Arrival, which led to him being tapped to direct Blade Runner 2049, a film which, while it was not a massive box office success, was loved by most critics. From Blade Runner he moved on to Dune, and if he can do the same thing there that he did with the Ridley Scott cult classic, most fans will likely be more than satisfied.
And certainly, Brian Herbert's endorsement will likely make a lot of those fans breathe a sigh of relief. If you're a big fan of Dune who has been praying that the new movie is everything that you want it to be, this is a good sign. Of course, it should be remembered that the new Dune isn't so much the "definitive adaptation" as it is half of the definitive adaptation. One of the things that Denis Villeneuve has done in an attempt to give the massive story the necessary space is that the new movie tells only part of the story of the original novel. Of course, if the first part lives up to expectations, that's likely a good sign for the eventual follow-up as well.
Dune is now set for release on October 1, 2021.
