It’s kind of a tough book to make a faithful adaptation of. So much of it is just internal monologue. It’s also a lot of story to cover in one piece. It would lend itself well to a two or three part series. I hope it’s awesome, it certainly has a great director and cast.
One thing. I hope that they get a really good martial arts choreographer in order to portray the “Weirding Way” in this version.
In the book, it’s pretty obvious that the Weirding Way is a fighting style, although the details about it are sketchy.
In the 1980s stinkbomb, they made the Weirding Way a sonic voice weapon instead. REALLY lame!
I’d like to see this version make it a legit fighting style, drawing upon little known and arcane martial arts styles from around the world. Maybe they can base it on Capoeira, Eskrima, Systema, or something like that.
The SyFy Channel mini-series tried to be about as faithful to the book as one could be in a made for TV miniseries. However, I firmly believe, as I stated, that this really needs a “big screen” flavor.
And of course, it couldn’t be any worse than the 1980s version.
I remember the movie. It is still the best way for me to cure occasional insomnia. I would have to say it was the WORST movie version of a great book I have ever seen. First Blood would be second on that list for me. Book was WAY better.
About the only thing good about the 80s version was the opening monologue, which featured a young and very beautiful Virginia Madsen in her first film role that I remember.
I hope that they do it the Old School Epic Cinema way with a 10 or 12 minute classical music overture and another 15 minute intermission with more music. Just do it right, you know, and make it a 4 or 5 hour masterpiece!
Ok, so I went and read through the article and sadly, I won’t be watching it. It’s just another Hollywood scream about how capitalism is the root of all evil, humans are killing the planet and we’re all going to die.
Villeneuve on the book: "It was a distant portrait of the reality of the oil and the capitalism and the exploitation—the overexploitation—of Earth. Today, things are just worse. It’s a coming-of-age story, but also a call for action for the youth.”
I wouldn’t write it off. Just look at the cast. Batista as Rabban. Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho. Rebecca Ferguson as the Lady Jessica. It’s a space opera DREAM team!!!
But consider…Herbert’s works often had economic and environmental themes.
Hell, his “Fremen” were, in effect, a sort of literary sci-fi jihadist group!
In my view, how subtly (or not so subtly) those themes are incorporated into the movie is a good reason to go see it!
I’m assuming that Feyd Rautha will not appear until the sequel; if so, it’ll be interesting to see who is cast in that role (I don’t see that character listed in the current credits).
One of the only other redeeming aspects of the DeLaurentiis/Lynch version was the casting of Sting as Feyd. Whoever is cast in that role will have some pretty big shoes to fill!
Would much rather see a sci fi movie of Stranger in a strange land or The High Crusade by Asminov or Lord Kalvan of Other When by H. Beam Pipers than another remake of this movie.
