Having reached an agreement with the Frank Herbert estate, Legendary Entertainment now hold official film and TV rights to Dune, signalling that a new adaptation could be in the cards.
Truth be told, it’s been a long time coming. Originally adapted for the silver screen by David Lynch in ’84, before a mini-series was spun out in 2000, ten years ago Paramount was said to be courting Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day) for Dune. Those plans ground to a halt when Berg made for the exit door, and though the studio quickly drafted in Pierre Morel as a replacement, Morel wasn’t far behind him.
Development hell beckoned, then, but over the past few months there have been fleeting signs that Dune could be resuscitated. For instance, back in September, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve expressed his long-time desire to wrangle Herbert’s seminal classic on to the big screen, and one can’t help but wonder whether Legendary will consider Villeneuve in light of today’s announcement. One way or another, it looks set that viewers will be stepping foot on the sun-scorched plains of Arrakis before long – be that on TV or cinema – and here, you can get an overview of Frank Herbert’s six-part epic.
Set in the distant future, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides whose family accepts control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, control of Arrakis is highly contested among the noble families. After Paul and his family are betrayed, the story explores themes of politics, religion, and man’s relationship to nature as Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s control of Arrakis.
So, there you have it; Dune has found a new home at Legendary Entertainment, but will that yield the adaptation fans so crave? We’ll be keeping tabs on this one as it develops.