Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is set to be the most ambitious science fiction film of 2020. Many directors have tried to adapt Frank Herbert’s classic novels. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt was chronicled in the excellent documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune. David Lynch managed to get his Dune to the screen, only for it to be a huge flop and one of the worst films of his career. And Syfy even had a stab with their own miniseries, but failed to capture the grandeur of the novels. But where they failed, Villeneuve may succeed.
Yesterday, we got our first look at the film courtesy of Vanity Fair, who revealed Timothée Chalamet as central figure Paul Atreides. That lone picture didn’t give much away, but today we have a much more comprehensive set of shots. These showcase Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica Atreides, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Zendaya as Chani, Javier Bardem as Stilgar and Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet-Kynes.
See for yourself in the gallery below:
While the overall tone seems to be for the muted gunmetal science fiction aesthetic that’s in vogue at the moment, the designs are also somewhat reminiscent of those seen in David Lynch’s Dune. Particularly interesting are the Fremen characters’ stillsuits (the black form-fitting things). These are an iconic part of Dune and allow the Fremen to survive in the harsh desert environment of Arrakis.
With these pictures out and the film quite far into post-production, I’m thinking a trailer can’t be too far away. While these photos are indeed illuminating, some footage will truly give us an idea of what tone and style Villeneuve’s going for with his Dune.
Right now, the film is sticking to its December 18th, 2020 release date, with the studio able to work around delays caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Here’s hoping this is finally the Dune that goes mainstream and we get the full saga in glorious fashion.
